Irish mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor has said that a woman who has accused him of raping her in a Dublin hotel is “full of lies”.
Mr McGregor, who is facing an accusation in the civil action that he “brutally raped and battered” Nikita Hand, gave evidence to the High Court on Wednesday.
He told the court that he had consensual sex with Ms Hand in a penthouse in the Beacon Hotel, and said “she never said no or stopped”.
Mr McGregor was asked about evidence Ms Hand gave in which she claimed he put her in a head lock and said “now you know how I felt in the octagon”, after he was beaten in a 2018 match.
Nikita Hand at the High Court in Dublin (Brian Lawless/PA)
“Your client is full of lies. Everything is a lie,” Mr McGregor said.
“How anyone could believe that me, as a prideful person, would highlight my shortcomings.
“It is a full-blown lie among many lies.”
He later went on to describe the claim as a “fantasy”.
Ms Hand, who is claiming civil damages against Mr McGregor and another man, was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following the alleged incident in December 2018.
Ms Hand, who is also known as Nikita Ni Laimhin, is also suing another man, James Lawrence, for sexual assault on December 9 2018.
Ms Hand, who has no automatic right to anonymity, has accused Mr McGregor of pinning her to a bed and raping her in a hotel bedroom in south Dublin.
Giving evidence on the sixth day of the case, Mr McGregor told John Gordon SC that he did “not force anyone to do anything against their will”.
He described sex between him and Ms Hand as “vigorous, athletic, physical and prolonged”, adding that it was “not rough”.
Mr McGregor denied he caused the bruises on her body, saying they may have been caused when she did a “swan dive” into a bath while they were partying in the hotel suite.
He also claimed that Ms Hand was not wearing a tampon on the day of the alleged incident, saying he would not have had sex with her while on her cycle.
Mr McGregor described how he had been out the night before with friends in Dublin and had been parting at the Krystle nightclub until around 6am or 7am.
Conor McGregor outside the High Court in Dublin (Gareth Chaney/PA)
He told the court that earlier in the day he had received a picture message on Instagram from Ms Hand wearing a “dress”, claiming it was “slightly provocative”.
Mr McGregor said that throughout the evening, he received a “slew of messages” from Ms Hand, asking him to come meet her and her friends.
After collecting Ms Hand and her work colleague, Danielle Kealey, from the hair salon on the morning of the alleged incident, Mr McGregor’s driver picked up Mr Lawrence.
They all went to the Beacon Hotel, where Mr McGregor had booked a penthouse suite.
He said the mood was “very fun, very playful and full of energy”.
After arriving at the hotel room, he said the party was “in full swing”, and claimed that he and Ms Hand were “getting close, kissing and touching”.
He told the court that Ms Hand followed him into the bathroom and that she was “very energetic and enthusiastic”.
Mr McGregor said he had his trouser zip open when they began kissing and were “a lot more passionate” and that it “took off from there”.
He said: “She performed oral sex on me at that moment. We began to take our clothes off. We were both naked in the bedroom and we moved to the bed.
“We began engaging in fully consensual sex. It began in the missionary position.”
He described the sex as being “enthusiastic and athletic”, adding it was “so fun, all good-hearted and happy”.
He also rejected claims she was wearing a tampon, saying there were in a room in broad daylight, and that he did not see or feel one.
He told the court there was no blood or discussion about a tampon.
The court heard that Mr McGregor fell asleep and woke up after a few hours, and that Ms Hand “propositioned” him again.
He claimed the pair has consensual sex for a second time.
Mr McGregor said that in the days following the alleged incident, he heard chat about a sports star facing rape allegations.
“It’s not me. It’s definitely not, was my initial thought. Then I started hearing rumours and I was shocked and frightened beyond belief,” he added.
“It was the most scariest thing I have went through in my life.”
He said he took notes and wanted to get everything correct about his memory of the evening.
Asked by Mr Gordon why he did not give his phone to police as part of the investigation, Mr McGregor said they did not ask.
He said he was “upset over that” and he wanted “every shred of evidence” before the court.
Mr McGregor was then asked by Justice Alexander Owens to “restrain himself” after he swore while giving evidence.
Asked how he believes she sustained injuries to her body, Mr McGregor said she “swan-dived into the bath and was out for three days”.
He went on to say that Ms Hand’s claims of how she became injured were “lies”.
Asked if they were the worst bruises he has ever seen on a woman, he replied, “no”.
Earlier, Ms Kealey, who was with Ms Hand in the hotel room, told the court she was “surprised” to learn of the alleged sexual assault.
Ms Kealey told the court she was with Ms Hand in south Dublin as part of a Christmas work party.
Ms Kealey, who was called to give evidence by Remy Farrell SC, for Mr McGregor, said she did not know Ms Hand well.
Asked to describe the mood in the penthouse, she said everything was fine and everyone was in good form.
She told the court that she knew Ms Hand and Mr McGregor went into the bedroom, but does not “know much about it”.
She said she did not know what was happening in the room, and that when Ms Hand returned to the main room of the penthouse, “everything was fine”.
“Everything was fine and no one was in bad form. I didn’t notice anything that happened,” Ms Kealey said.
Asked if anyone appeared upset, she said “no”.
Ms Kealey said she was contacted by Ms Hand in the days after the alleged incident, claiming she had been raped.
Asked for her reaction, Ms Kealey said: “I was surprised because I didn’t see anything.
“I told her I hadn’t seen or heard anything.”
She also told the court that Ms Hand had asked her to delete messages between the two.
The court also heard from Dr Charlotte Murphy, a forensic scientist with Forensic Science Ireland, who examined samples taken from Ms Hand and her clothing 10 hours after the alleged incident.
The court heard that straps of a jumpsuit worn by Ms Hand were damaged beyond normal wear and tear.
She said that one strap was ripped off, which was consistent with pulling.
Dr Murphy said that traces of semen were found on Ms Hand’s jumpsuit and pants, and that DNA taken from swabs of her vagina were one thousand million times more likely to match the DNA of Mr McGregor than anyone else.
The case continues.