Eddie Hearn vows to quickly assess business partnership with Conor McGregor after the UFC star was found liable in civil sexual assault case

Eddie Hearn has revealed Matchroom Boxing will reevaluate their business relationship with Conor McGregor following former UFC champion’s recent civil sexual assault case.

McGregor recently appeared in court in his native Ireland accused of ‘brutally raping and battering’ 35-year-old Nikita Hand at a hotel in Dublin in 2018.

On Friday McGregor was ordered to pay nearly €250,000 (£208,000) in damages after a jury found him liable of assaulting Hand.

The former two-weight UFC champion has vehemently denied the claims, and released a statement on social media indicating that he will look to appeal the verdict.

He wrote on X: ‘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.’

In the wake of the verdict, several companies previously associated with McGregor have dropped him, including the Proper No Twelve brand that he launched in 2018.

Branding for the Irish whiskey had been displayed prominently during recent Matchroom Boxing events, with McGregor infamously handing Anthony Joshua a drink of another of his alcohol-related businesses following AJ’s win over Robert Helenius last year.

Asked what effect the recent ruling involving McGregor would have on their partnership, Hearn insisted that he will conduct a full review before making a decision.

‘We gotta digest all the information which is coming out thick and fast,’ Hearn told Pro Boxing Fans. ‘And we have a responsibility to look at all our partnerships.

‘And we’ll do that in the immediate future and decide as a business what we’re gonna do.’

McGregor hasn’t fought since July 2021, where he suffered a serious leg injury during his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier.

A long-awaited showdown with lightweight contender Michael Chandler was scheduled for the main event of UFC 303 for June of this year.

However, fans began to speculate on the fight’s status after a press conference was abruptly called off and the UFC subsequently officially cancelled the bout after it emerged McGregor had suffered a broken toe in training camp.

Despite being the biggest star in the history of mixed martial arts, McGregor’s future in competition has remained something of a mystery since then, with Dana White revealing prior to the recent verdict that the promotion is targeting a late 2025 date for his return.

The Irishman has two fights remaining on his current UFC contract, but has expressed an interest in competing in bare-knuckle boxing, having become part-owner of BKFC earlier this year.