Eight days of evidence and three days of listening to closing speeches and the judge’s comments, followed by six hours and 10 minutes of deliberating. Anticipation was high when the jury of eight women and four men returned at the High Court in Dublin on November 22 with their verdict in a civil lawsuit against Conor McGregor regarding behavioral misconduct allegations against a lady in December 2018.

In the end, the plaintiff won the lawsuit, reportedly leading ‘The Notorious’ to dish out a hefty sum to cover the damages the victim had suffered. As reported by BBC, McGregor has been ordered to pay the woman more than €248,000 (£206,000) in damages.

Later on, McGregor revealed on X in a now-deleted post that he planned to make an appeal to this verdict by the judge. Explaining his disappointment with the court’s ruling, McGregor claimed that he disputed one of the charges associated with the lawsuit. “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 had written in the now-deleted post.

‘The Notorious’ had further stated, “I am disappointed that the jury did not hear all the evidence that the DPP [Director of Public Prosecutions] reviewed. I am with my family now, focused on my future. Thank you to all my support worldwide.” It remains to be seen if the court acknowledges his appeal in the days to come.

On Friday, McGregor was accompanied by his partner Dee Devlin (who appeared in the case for the first time), his parents, his sister, and his brother-in-law. In the courtroom, he sat in the back row, between Devlin and his mother Margaret. McGregor shook his head after the jury read out their verdict. The woman, on the other hand, cried and was hugged by her partner Gary and supporters. Meanwhile, contrasting scenes appeared outside the courtroom following the verdict.

Reporters shouted repeated questions about the outcome of the case and his future as McGregor came out of the courtroom. But the UFC superstar said nothing and quickly left in a waiting car against the backdrop of flashing camera lights. Shortly after this, the woman approached the waiting media with her legal team and her partner. She cried repeatedly as she read a statement in which she thanked her partner, her daughter, her family, and everyone who sent her messages of support.

The woman said her story was “a reminder that no matter how afraid you might be to speak up, you have a voice”. She told reporters that she was “overwhelmed and touched” by the support she had received. She added: “I want to show [my daughter] Freya and every other young girl and boy that you can stand up for yourself if something happens to you, no matter who the person is, and that justice will be served.”

After she was done with her statement, BBC reporter Kevin Sharkey asked her to describe the past two weeks. In a reply that speaks volumes, she said, “A nightmare.” But her fight has earned praise from the topmost level in Ireland.

Irish Justice Minister Helen McEntee praised the woman’s bravery and said she had shown “there is light at the end of the tunnel.” “I just want to commend [name of the woman] for her bravery, for her determination, and the leadership that she has shown in what has been – I’ve no doubt – a very, very difficult time for her and indeed, for her family,” McEntee said. Fine Gael leader and Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Simon Harris has also reportedly spoken by phone to the woman to express solidarity with her.

Conor McGregor isn’t the only superstar, who’s had run-ins with the law. Heavyweight champion Jon Jones also found himself embroiled in such situations. However, ‘Bones’ still managed to get past those problems and came back to the Octagon to dominate his opponents. But why hasn’t that been the case for McGregor? Joe Rogan seems to believe that ‘The Notorious’ has “self-destructed.”

Joe Rogan on how money changed Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor was on top of the game when he was in winning form during 2015 and 2016. However, according to Joe Rogan, things were never the same after his boxing match with Floyd Mayweather, which reportedly earned him a paycheck that eclipsed how much he made in the UFC. The drastic growth of his bank balance seemingly distracted him so much that since then, he’s had a hard time trying to regain his footing in the UFC.

“Conor self-destructed in a lot of ways because of money. He took that fight with Floyd Mayweather, made a ton of money off that, and then took a long time before he came back to MMA, and he’s just not been the same guy since,” said Joe Rogan in episode #2232 of the JRE podcast. “And I think that’s just … it’s money, it’s a lot of partying, but it’s the same kind of thing. It’s just a wild (change). But when Conor was in his prime, he was a f*****g assassin.”

McGregor hasn’t fought in the Octagon since a loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. But he was supposed to return to the UFC 303 before suffering an injury. As of now, McGregor’s UFC future is uncertain, despite Michael Chandler calling him out at UFC 309. Before his recent UFC struggles, McGregor, at one point, was at the top of the UFC’s pound-for-pound list after earning two divisional championships. His earlier success earned him the name ‘champ-champ’, a nod to his title wins at lightweight and featherweight.

Now, McGregor has lost three of his last four UFC fights, and many wonder whether he can at all win another MMA fight before he retires. Do you think McGregor can come back to claim his throne back? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.