'Frightened' Conor McGregor says 'my life is on the line' and tells court that the woman accusing him of rape 'is full of lies' and they enjoyed 'vigorous, athletic and prolonged' sex

Conor McGregor has said the woman who claims he raped her is 'full of lies', and has insisted that none of the bruises covering her body was caused by him.

The mixed martial arts (MMA) champion told the High Court he had sex with Nikita Hand twice in the penthouse of the four-star Beacon Hotel in Dublin December 2018, and that she was 'enthusiastic' and 'boisterous'.

He denied holding her in a chokehold, or making reference to a previous fight he had lost three months before, and said that being accused of rape was 'frightening'.

'My life is on the line,' he said. 

Mr McGregor and his friend James Lawrence have both been sued for damages by hairdresser Nikita Hand, 35, from Drimnagh, Dublin, who alleged they both raped her in the hotel following a cocaine- and alcohol-fuelled after-party. Both have denied her allegation, and claimed the sex was consensual.

Asked about her extensive bruising, Mr McGregor said he had initially been shocked by the photographs shown to him by gardaí, 'but when I started to piece it together, not so much'.

He said that she had flung herself fully clothed into a bath with a 'thud' and a 'swan dive' when they first entered the suite and that they had later enjoyed 'physical, vigorous, athletic and prolonged' sex in a number of positions. 

'The sex was not rough. It was physical. It was not rough in any way,' he said.

Mr McGregor also suggested that the hairdresser - then aged 29 - could have bruised herself at other times between going out for her work Christmas party on Saturday, December 8, meeting him on the following day and going to the Rotunda Hospital on Monday, December 10.

The court heard that she was drinking heavily and had taken cocaine, which Mr McGregor had brought to his car in a bag.

He said he had been surprised at the evidence of the advanced paramedic who examined Ms Hand on December 10, and who told the court she had never seen such severe bruising before.

He said he thought that was strange, given her profession.

Asked by Ms Hand's barrister, John Gordon, if he had seen such bruising on a woman before himself, he said he had.

He denied having held Ms Hand in a headlock, or choking her three times, as she has claimed.

Mr McGregor agreed that he had forfeited a major fight in October 2018, having been held in a neck crank by his opponent - which he said would look like a head lock 'to the untrained eye'.

However, he denied her claim that he told her she now knew how he had felt during a fight in the octagon, when he had to tap out. But he said: 'No prideful person like me would highlight my shortcomings. It's not in my nature. It's a full-blown lie.'

Mr Gordon asked: 'You are saying she is so devious she made up a patent lie?' 'Yes,' he replied. 'It's a lie, and it's almost a fantasy. In my head, it feels like a fantasy.'

Asked if he had been listening to the medical evidence about bruising around Ms Hand's neck, he said he had heard the 'SATU guy' - the doctor from the hospital's sexual assault treatment unit - say that a mark on her neck 'could have been a love bite'. Of the choking allegation, he said: 'It was not nice to hear, but it's a lie, an absolute lie.'

Mr McGregor agreed with his own barrister, Remy Farrell, that there had been a 'lot of chatter' on social media following his day at the Beacon Hotel, concerning an alleged assault involved a sports star. He said: 'It's definitely not me, was my initial thought. Then I started hearing rumours. I was shocked and frightened. It was beyond belief.

'It was the most scary thing I had ever gone through.'

When he learned Ms Hand had made a statement to gardaí alleging rape, he said: 'It was obviously a very frightening experience. My life is on the line.' He said he 'wanted to do everything correctly', and immediately contacted a solicitor, and took notes of everything that had happened.

Asked why he had not handed over his phone to gardaí, he said: 'They didn't ask.'

He agreed his solicitors had asked the gardaí to obtain CCTV from the hotel, but said he was 'upset' more evidence about the events of the day had not been looked for. In a sudden outburst, he said: 'I want every drib of evidence to be here. I want the taxi driver to say your client was frolicking, sucking f***ing d***, this is crazy.'

Judge Alexander Owens intervened, asking him to moderate his language. Mr McGregor said that on Saturday, December 8, he was relaxing after training at his home at the K Club in Straffan, Co. Kildare. He heard District 8 nightclub in Dublin was having a closing party, and asked his driver/security guard to bring him in. 

He posted a picture of himself on stage on his Instagram, and Ms Hand responded privately. He said that while he did not know her personally, they came from a similar area in Dublin, and moved in the 'same circles'. Mr McGregor's group also went to Krystle nightclub, where they stayed until around 6/7am.

Ms Hand later sent him a photo of herself at her Christmas party, wearing a red jumpsuit, the court heard. He said she invited him to her salon during a 'slew of messages', and the court heard Ms Hand and Danielle Kealey 'jumped' into his car when it pulled up at 10.15am. 

They collected his friend, James Lawrence, who had been out but had already gone home, 'to balance out the group', and went to the Beacon. 

Mr McGregor's cross-examination continues today.