Conor McGregor found himself embroiled in a heated online exchange with Jake Paul only hours after the UFC legend lost a civil damage claim to a woman who accused him of rape.
McGregor denied assaulting and raping Nikita Hand in a Dublin hotel in December 2018. However, on Friday, at the High Court in Dublin, he lost a civil lawsuit, with the jury finding against him a judge awarding Ms Hand damages exceeding £200,000.
Following the outcome, various figures from the worlds of MMA and boxing took shots at McGregor, including YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, who had just come off a bout with Mike Tyson. Taking to Twitter to voice his thoughts, Paul confused criminal and civil law, tweeting: “Dana hits his wife Conor’s convicted of rape But I’m the bad guy”.
READ MORE: Conor McGregor’s rise to ‘Notorious’ UFC star and scandal as he’s found to have raped woman
READ MORE: Conor McGregor found to have raped woman as verdict given in case against UFC star
In response, McGregor seemingly hit back from his TheNotoriousMMA account. The account replied: “No you’re a little gay nerd”. Paul shot back with another tweet, saying: “Calling someone gay and thinking you are hitting them with a zinger shows how cooked Conor’s brain is…. Shout out to all the nerds,” reports the Mirror.
It should be noted McGregor has not been criminally convicted, contradicting what was implied in Paul’s message, as he was found to have raped the woman by a jury in a civil case.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The Irish sports star had previously told the court about what he claimed was a consensual encounter with Ms Hand, also known by the name Nikita Ni Laimhin, in a penthouse at the Beacon Hotel. McGregor’s co-defendant, James Lawrence, 35, was found not to have assaulted the victim. She had alleged he assaulted her by having sex with her without her consent.
After deliberating for over six hours following eight days of evidence and three days of closing arguments and judicial instructions, the jury comprising of eight women and four men delivered their decision.
McGregor was seen shaking his head as the jury announced Ms Hand, 35, was successful in her claim against him. The 36-year-old remained silent upon leaving the courtroom, later declaring his intent to challenge the verdict. In a statement, he said: “I will be appealing today’s decision.” He added: “I am with my family now, focused on my future.”
(Image: PA)
Outside the courthouse earlier, Ms Hand expressed hope that her legal battle would encourage others who have faced assault to persist in “pushing forward for justice”.
She said: “I hope my story is a reminder that no matter how afraid you might be, speak up, you have a voice and keep on fighting for justice. I know this has impacted not only my life, my daughter’s, my family and friends tremendously.
“It’s something that I’ll never forget for the rest of my life. Now that justice has been served, I can now try and move on and look forward to the future with my family and friends and daughter.”
Upon being asked if she felt vindicated by the jurys verdict, she responded affirmatively: “Yes, I do. Thank you.”