Life has been tough for Irish MMA star Conor McGregor, who has already been struggling to make a comeback in MMA. Now, he faces a significant blow to his reputation after losing a s-xual assault case in a Dublin high court. A woman named Nikita Hand accused McGregor of attacking and assaulting her at a hotel in Dublin back in 2018.

Last week, a jury of 12 members—eight women and four men—deliberated for six hours before finding McGregor liable. The jury ruled that McGregor must pay a hefty $257,000 payout to Nikita Hand. This marks a challenging time for McGregor, who was once known for generating lucrative fights, but now faces the reality of losing a civil lawsuit.

Despite the setback, McGregor’s never-back-down nature is evident as he has vowed to appeal the case in a higher court. He continues to deny the allegations, emphasizing that his encounter with Hand was consensual. In a now-deleted tweet, McGregor stated, “I will be appealing today’s decision.” In another development, renowned sports journalist Ariel Helwani recently reported on the case. Helwani claimed to have reached out to McGregor’s team to confirm if they indeed plan to proceed with the appeal, though no confirmation has been made yet.

Through his own research on Irish appellate law, Helwani noted that McGregor has only 28 days to file an appeal under Irish law. Helwani remarked, “Based on the material I have read and listened to, there has been a lot of fair and balanced coverage from Ireland’s national media. He does have 28 days to file an appeal, so the clock is somewhat ticking. That deadline would fall around the end of December.”

Now all eyes are on Conor McGregor as the clock ticks on whether he will appeal to the Court of Appeal, aggrieved by the High Court’s judgment. So far, no official statement has been made from his camp, fueling growing speculation. Meanwhile, McGregor finds himself increasingly isolated in his legal battle, with his co-accused, James Lawrence, having been cleared of all charges by the jury.

Adding to his troubles, McGregor’s sponsorship deals are beginning to fall apart. The first to cut ties is the video game company IO Interactive, marking a challenging period for the Irish MMA star. As the situation unfolds, McGregor faces one of the toughest battles of his career, with every move under intense scrutiny.

IO announced it has parted ways with Conor McGregor after the assault ruling

Following the latest judgment against him, Conor McGregor’s life has been hit with a domino effect. From the recent legal ruling to his removal from the video game franchise, developments in McGregor’s story continue to unfold. His former best friend, Artem Lobov, recently filed a lawsuit against McGregor for $8.4 million, claiming McGregor sold his stake for $15 million. While McGregor may not yet face severe consequences for the assault case, more challenges await him.

Recently, video game company IO Interactive announced it was severing ties with McGregor, removing him from their popular game, Hitman: World of Assassination. The company stated they didn’t want their image tarnished by someone who has lost an assault case involving a woman.

In a statement posted to their social media, IO Interactive said, “In light of the recent court ruling regarding Conor McGregor, IO Interactive has made the decision to cease its collaboration with the athlete, effective immediately. We take this matter very seriously and cannot ignore its implications. Consequently, we will begin removing all content featuring Mr. McGregor from our storefronts starting today.”

Stay tuned to EssentiallySports for all the latest updates on Conor McGregor’s case as it continues to develop. We’ll keep you informed with the newest information as it becomes available. With McGregor now in control of his next steps, only time will reveal how his appeal will unfold. Stay with us for more updates.