Dee Devlin has publicly declared her unwavering support for her fiance, UFC fighter Conor McGregor, after a woman who accused him of raping her six years ago won her claim against him for damages in a High Court civil case.
A jury ordered the mixed martial arts star to pay over £200,000 in damages to Nikita Hand after an incident in a Dublin hotel back in 2018.
Last Friday saw the award handed to the victim, with McGregor promptly announcing his intention to appeal, maintaining that the encounter with Ms Hand was consensual.
Devlin passionately defended her partner online: “Conor and I dealt with these issues privately many years ago, as should be done in a relationship and we have come out stronger than ever,” she expressed on social media.
“We have four beautiful children now whose smiling faces and happy hearts are a testament to who he is and who we are!”
Her statements emerge as high-profile UK and Irish retailers, such as Tesco, make the move to discontinue sales of alcoholic beverages linked to McGregor.
Meanwhile, the fighter’s whiskey brand Proper No.Twelve will be stripped of his identity, following McGregor’s sell-off of his share in the brand in 2021 for upwards of £100million, reports the Mirror.
In further developments, this Monday witnessed a renowned video game developer’s decision to withdraw content related to the MMA superstar. McGregor has been a fixture in various video games, lending his voice to a character modelled after him in extra downloadable content within the Hitman series.
The in-game depiction allows players to eliminate McGregor’s virtual persona.
Conor McGregor, the UFC superstar, stirred up a storm on social media by sharing, and later removing, images from outside the court during his case without allowing comments. Earlier, McGregor had addressed his legal woes, stating: “People want to hear from me, I needed time. I know I made mistakes. Six years ago, I should have never responded to her outreaches.”
“I should have shut the party down. I should never have stepped out on the woman I love the most in the world. That’s all on me. As much as I regret it, everything that happened that night was consensual and all the witnesses present swore to that under oath.
“I have instructed my legal team to appeal the decision. I can’t go back and I will move forward. I am beyond grateful to my family, friends and supporters all over the world who have stayed by my side. That’s it. No more. Getting back to the gym – the fight game awaits!”
The sport has not seen McGregor in action since July 2021, and his anticipated bout with Michael Chandler this summer fell through due to a toe injury incurred during training.
The UFC has yet to pronounce if they’ll clear their marquee name for future fights.
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