Conor McGregor Lost His Sexual Assault Case Against Nikita Hand, So Is He Going to Jail?
Conor was ordered to pay the victim, Nikita Hand, $257,000, but will he also have to serve jail time?
Published Nov. 22 2024, 5:12 p.m. ET
UFC fighter Conor McGregor is no stranger to controversy and notoriety. The headstrong fighter, who hasn’t stepped into the octagon since his 2021 match against Dustin Poirier, was initially scheduled to face Michael Chandler in 2024, though the fight was ultimately canceled.
Despite being out of the spotlight for his fighting skills, Conor has still been making headlines — most recently because his two-week trial over a 2018 sexual assault allegation concluded on Nov. 22, 2024, and the outcome isn’t looking good. Conor lost the case, leaving fans wondering: Is he going to jail? Here’s everything we know.
Is Conor McGregor going to jail?
Conor won’t be serving jail time for the sexual assault allegations filed against him stemming from a 2018 incident. However, he has been ordered by the court to pay $257,000 in damages to the victim, identified as Nikita Ni Lamhain (some sources report her name as Nikita Hand), according to AP News.
Nikita accused Conor of leaving her "brutally raped and battered" following an event at the Beacon Hotel in Dublin. TMZ reported that Nikita claimed Conor and another man had sex with her without her consent during a holiday party.
Conor was found liable for the allegations after a 12-person jury, consisting of eight women and four men, deemed him guilty. However, since Nikita's case was civil, not criminal, jail time was not an option. According to the Irish Star, the Director of Public Prosecutions in Ireland decided not to pursue criminal charges, meaning prison was never on the table.
Nikita Hand giving a statement following Conor's verdict.
Conor McGregor's longtime partner and fiancé showed up to court with him.
Conor's fiancé, Dee Devlin, was spotted walking hand-in-hand with him into court. The couple, who have been together since 2008 and got engaged in 2020, have not shared any details about their wedding date.
According to TMZ, Conor's parents were also in attendance for the court proceedings. While Conor has insisted that his encounter with Nikita was consensual, it's worth noting that at the time of the incident, he was still in a committed relationship with Dee, whom he shares four kids with: Conor Jr., Croía, Rían and Mack.
Conor McGregor said he will be appealing the court's decision in his 2018 case.
Conor was visibly upset by the verdict stemming from the alleged 2018 sexual assault incident and took to X (formerly Twitter) to explain to fans his next move. "I will be appealing today's decision. The judge's instruction and the modest award given was for assault, not for aggravated or exemplary damages."
He continued, "I am disappointed that the jury did not hear all the evidence that the DPP reviewed. I am with my family now, focused on my future. Thank you to all my support worldwide."
Instead of posting about the case or giving fans an update, Conor opted for a more optimistic post the day before to his Instagram stories, a photo of his daughter sitting on his lap with the text overlay reading " Apple of my eye" with a heart emoji.