McGregor Maintains Innocence On Sexual Assault Verdict

Days before his UFC 329 return, Conor McGregor was asked to address the legal and moral questions surrounding his participation.

A jury found McGregor liable for sexual assault, determining that he had nonconsensual sex with Nikita Hand in a Dublin hotel room in 2018. McGregor was ordered to pay Hand $260,000 in damages. He appealed the verdict, but the appeal was denied.

"I'm an innocent man, and I'll stand for my innocence until the day I go out. That is still a situation where I fight. There's a reason where it didn't go where it went and went to a civil trial. It is what it is. It stings deep. I continue to fight. I know the truth, and I know that lying lips are an abomination to the Lord. I know anything done in darkness will soon come to light, and I trust in God that it's coming. You best believe it's coming,” McGregor

He spoke separately about alcohol, framing it as a significant factor in the years he spent away from competition. Conor described the period following his 2017 Floyd Mayweather boxing match — when he launched an Irish whiskey brand — as a turning point toward heavier drinking.

"In 2017, I'm a double-weight world champion, Floyd Mayweather-banked. Then I launch an Irish whiskey. I didn't drink heavily if at all at that time in my life. I was an athlete at the top of my game. Next thing you know, there's thousands upon thousands of bottles in my garage. I'd leave my property with two bottles under my arm. That was it. I was caught. God gave me these lessons,” McGregor

He fights Max Holloway (27-9) in a five-round welterweight main event at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night. It is his first fight since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in July 2021. The questions about his return extend beyond what happens inside the octagon.