Mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor testified Wednesday at the High Court in Dublin, asserting that he had consensual sex with a woman who is suing him for sexual assault and claiming she fabricated her story.
“Everything is a lie,” McGregor declared. “It is a full blown lie among many lies.”
The woman accused McGregor of “brutally raping and battering” her in a penthouse at a Dublin hotel on December 9, 2018. She testified last week that she was heavily bruised and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after McGregor allegedly pinned her to a bed, put her in a headlock, and threatened to kill her during their encounter after a night of partying.
Despite an investigation by the police, no charges were filed against McGregor.
During the defense’s presentation, it was pointed out that the woman never mentioned to investigators that McGregor had threatened her life. Surveillance footage shown in court allegedly depicted the woman kissing McGregor’s arm and hugging him as they left the hotel room.
McGregor refuted the woman’s claims that he had her in a headlock and told her, “now you know how I felt in the octagon,” referring to the Ultimate Fighting Championship ring surrounded by chain-link fencing.
“How anyone could believe that me, as a prideful person, would highlight my shortcomings,” McGregor said.
He insisted that he did not coerce the woman into any actions against her will and described the sex as vigorous but not rough.
McGregor dismissed her accusations as a fantasy, attributing her bruises to a fall into a bath while they were partying.
