"Everything that happened that night was consensual" - Conor McGregor looks to put things behind as "fight game awaits" amid assault case loss

Conor McGregor recently came up with a regretful statement after being convicted of sexual assault on Nikita Hand in 2018. Apart from expressing his remorse, McGregor stressed that he was wrongly convicted of assault. The Irishman also intended to return to the fight game for salvation.

It's pertinent to note that Hand had also accused McGregor of ra*ing her apart from her sexual assault allegations. However, McGregor's ra*e charges were put down after the criminal court found Hand's pieces of evidence insufficient to prove her allegations.

Hand did win the assault case against McGregor in the Dublin civil court on Nov. 21. However, the former UFC champ-champ's statement on X refuted the civil court's decision, saying that he never assaulted Hand and that whatever happened on that night was "consensual".

McGregor's words showcased that he laments cheating on his fiance, Dee Devlin, whom he labeled as the woman he loves the "most in the world". Besides all of this, 'The Notorious' also touched upon the subject that most fans are worried about, his return to fighting. McGregor penned:

"People want to hear from me, I needed time. I know I made mistakes. 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. 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. 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!"

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Conor McGregor's previously scheduled rival is still ready to fight him

Conor McGregor expressed his desire to get back to fighting as soon as possible following the debacle of being convicted of sexual assault. He had made similar commitments previously as well, but none of them eventually materialized.

At the beginning of this year, McGregor revealed that he would make his comeback to the UFC in June. The UFC brass also booked him to headline UFC 303 on June 29 against Michael Chandler. But he pulled out of the fight due to a toe injury.

Chandler was McGregor's rival coach in 'TUF 31' and had been waiting to fight him since the end of the season in mid-2023. However, he got frustrated by McGregor's delays and moved on to fight Charles Oliveira at UFC 309.

However, Chandler's octagon interview following his loss against Oliveira revealed that he was still open to fighting McGregor in the future. 'Iron' said:

"Conor McGregor, if you can ever get your house back in order... come back [to the octagon] and beat me, if you can."

Check out Michael Chandler's comment below (0:48):

The entire situation indicates that McGregor has enough ways open to get himself back into the fight game firmly. But that would depend upon how serious he is regarding his words this time.