Daniel Cormier: Conor McGregor’s Career to Be Affected by Long-Term Impact of Sexual Assault Case

McGregor was recently held accountable for assaulting Nikita Hand at a hotel in Dublin in 2018 and has been ordered to compensate her with around $260,000 in damages.

Several brands linked with Conor McGregor have also started cutting ties with the controversial MMA fighter.

Cormier shared his perspective on the legal issues McGregor faces following the ruling against him for the assault on Nikita Hand.

Hand had alleged in a civil sexual assault lawsuit that the Irish fighter “brutally raped” and “battered” her at a hotel during a Christmas “after party” that year.

As part of the eight-man jury’s verdict, McGregor was ordered to pay Hand approximately $260,000 in damages.

Now Cormier is suggesting that his actions outside the Octagon may ultimately overshadow McGregor’s in-ring legacy.

“It’s unfortunate because this is one of the biggest stars that this sport has ever seen. We’ve never seen anything like a Conor McGregor in mixed martial arts,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel.

He added, “For a guy of that stature to come from our sport and be tied to something as bad as this, it really does suck. There are going to be some long-term effects from this.”

The UFC commentator went further to clarify that he isn’t judging McGregor as he doesn’t know firsthand what transpired that night between him and Hand, but with the previous sexual assault allegations leveled against him, things aren’t looking good for him.

“When I hear things like this, sometimes (celebrities) are targeted – especially guys that carry that type of cache, that type of name recognition,” Cormier said. “But with Conor, it seems like there has been more than one instance where stuff like this has come up. Like I said, I am not judging this man. I don’t know.”

“I wasn’t there. You know, who knows? Conor and that girl. But, this isn’t the first time that we have seen something like that, so you’re a little less inclined to be, ‘Oh, this is a gold digger that’s trying to do this.’ But do know that as long as there have been sports, there have been instances like this,” he continued.

Cormier’s comments come as brands and MMA fighters distance themselves from McGregor.

Several of his colleagues, including former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and current champion Islam Makhachev have already taken shots at him, slamming him for being an “alcoholic,” “drug junkie” and “rapist.”

Even companies who were in partnership with McGregor have severed ties with him. According to the Daily Mail, game developer IO Interactive revealed they will no longer be working with McGregor, whose voice featured as The Disruptor in the game “Hitman.”

The company, in a statement, 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,” they added.

As previously reported by The Blast, pub company JD Weatherspoon severed ties with McGregor by ordering the removal of his alcohol brand, Forged Irish Stout, from all seven of their pubs in Ireland.

Weatherspoon also released a brief statement about the new development without saying why they decided to dump McGregor’s beer.

The statement read, “Wetherspoon has taken the decision to remove the product, Forged Stout, in its pubs in ROI.”

To add insult to injury, Proximo Spirits, the parent company of Proper No. 12, the whiskey brand McGregor helped create, recently announced that they’ll no longer feature him in their marketing.

The “Road House” actor has maintained his innocence on the allegations and recently shared a lengthy official statement on X where he revealed plans to appeal the ruling.

In his post, McGregor admitted to making “mistakes” and developing “regrets” about his actions but claimed that everything that transpired between him and Hand was “consensual.”

“People want to hear from me, I needed time. I know I made mistakes,” he wrote. “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.”

He continued, “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,” he added. “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!”