More than two weeks after Conor McGregor was found liable for sexual assault in a Dublin civil case, UFC CEO Dana White finally broke the deafening silence from his organization about the UFC’s biggest star.
Asked for comment about McGregor’s verdict, an aggressive White dismissed the line of questioning Saturday night at UFC 310’s post-fight conference in Las Vegas.
“What do you mean, what’s my reaction? If I had a comment, I would’ve put it out already,” White said.
When pressed in a follow-up question about McGregor’s future with the promotion, White again dismissed the question in a brief but terse exchange.
“He hasn’t been fighting here in I don’t know how long,” White said.
“Well, if he does fight, it’ll be sometime next year,” he added regarding whether the verdict impacts previously stated plans for McGregor to return to the UFC in “late 2025.”
McGregor was found liable in late November of sexually assaulting Nikita Hand in a Dublin hotel in 2018. The former UFC two-division champion has been ordered to pay Hand a total of €248,603.60 ($261,246.63) in damages, as well as an additional seven-figure sum for Hand’s legal costs.
McGregor was warned in Dublin court on Thursday that he could face further penalties for his “highly irresponsible” social media posts in the aftermath of the verdict.
Multiple retail giants in the United Kingdom and Ireland cut ties with any products relating to McGregor in the wake of the verdict, and Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey — the alcohol brand founded by the fighter — announced that it no longer intends to use McGregor’s name or likeness in its marketing. The official website for Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey remains offline as of this writing.
Video game developer IO Interactive also distanced itself from McGregor, removing content featuring the former UFC champion from its video game “Hitman: World of Assassination.”
A solidarity march for Hand took place in Dublin’s city center following the verdict.
Among a slew of furious and largely vulgar posts on social media attacking the jury’s ruling, McGregor issued a statement confirming that he intends to appeal the decision.
McGregor last fought in the UFC in a July 2021 loss to Dustin Poirier, during which he suffered a broken leg. He was scheduled to return against Michael Chandler in June at UFC 303, but ultimately withdrew from the bout due to a broken toe.
