The fallout from Conor McGregor’s legal drama just got messier. After the former UFC champion failed to overturn the 2024 civil case brought by Nikita Hand, two people who provided evidence in his support last year are now facing perjury charges in Ireland.

Samantha O’Reilly, 38, and Steven Cummins, 39, appeared before Dublin District Court on Tuesday, where they were charged with allegedly making false statements in affidavits linked to McGregor’s appeal in 2025. The charges come after an investigation by the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation into evidence submitted during the case. Neither O’Reilly nor Cummins has entered a plea yet.

The two were brought into the case as former neighbors of Hand, with their evidence supposedly offering a very different version of what happened around the time of the December 2018 incident involving McGregor.

O’Reilly claimed in her affidavit that she had witnessed an alleged physical altercation between Hand and her then-boyfriend from inside her home across the street. Hand, however, outright denied that the incident ever happened and called the claims lies.

Conor McGregor’s legal team initially tried to bring the affidavits into his appeal as fresh evidence, arguing that they could offer another possible explanation for the bruising found on Nikita Hand’s body.

But then, things took a seriously weird turn.

When the Irishman’s appeal got underway in July 2025, his legal team suddenly pulled the plug on the affidavits. The Court of Appeal had been set to hear the new evidence, but the lawyers withdrew the application before Samantha O’Reilly and Steve Cummins ever got the chance to take the stand.

That move immediately raised eyebrows in court. Justice Brian O’Moore called the circumstances surrounding the withdrawal “mysterious,” and things got even more serious when the Court of Appeal later in September 2025 referred the matter for consideration of possible perjury to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

Now, more than a year after the evidence was pulled, the fallout has turned into an actual criminal case. Samantha O’Reilly and Steve Cummins are now facing charges under Ireland’s Criminal Justice (Perjury and Related Offences) Act 2021. O’Reilly faces two counts, while Cummins faces one.

The Director of Public Prosecutions has directed that the case proceed on indictment, meaning it will eventually head to the Circuit Court, where a judge and jury will hear the case.

If convicted, the charges carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. For now, the pair are due back at Dublin District Court on November 9. Prosecutors are expected to serve their books of evidence and seek an order sending the case forward for trial.

And the legal trouble doesn’t stop there.

Nikita Hand has also launched a separate civil action against ‘The Notorious,’ Samantha O’Reilly and Steve Cummins, accusing them of malicious abuse of the court process.

In February 2026, the High Court entered judgment in default against O’Reilly and Cummins after they failed to respond to Hand’s proceedings. The amount of damages they could ultimately have to pay has yet to be decided.

As for the former UFC double champion, his own legal battle has already run out of road. A High Court jury ruled in Hand’s favor in November 2024 and awarded her $281,729 in damages.

‘The Notorious’ appealed the decision, but the Court of Appeals unanimously rejected it in July 2025. He then tried to take the case to the Supreme Court, only for that appeal to be refused as well in December 2025.

So, while Conor McGregor’s appeal journey is officially over, the fallout from the case is still very much alive. And now, with Samantha O’Reilly and Steve Cummins facing criminal proceedings, the story has taken another major turn.

However, it is worth noting that despite the court rulings, the Irishman has continued to maintain his innocence.

Conor McGregor continues to proclaim his innocence

Even with the legal battle now over for Conor McGregor, the former UFC champion has continued to maintain that he did nothing wrong. Ahead of his planned UFC comeback against Max Holloway, ‘The Notorious’ reiterated that stance in July, making it clear he had no intention of backing away from his version of events.

“I am an innocent man,” McGregor said. “I’ll stand for my innocence until the day I go out. This is still a situation where I fight. There’s a reason it didn’t go where it went and went to a civil trial. It is what it is. It stings deep. I continue to fight.”

The Irishman then turned to his faith, saying he believes the truth will eventually come out.

“I know the truth,” he said. “I know that lying lips are an abomination to the lord. I know that anything done in darkness will soon come to light.

“I trust in God that it’s coming. You best believe it’s coming, and I look very, very forward to the day.”

The legal mess has also come during a pretty brutal stretch for McGregor inside the Octagon. The Irishman’s comeback against Max Holloway at UFC 329 lasted just 69 seconds before things went horribly wrong.

Conor McGregor suffered a torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee during the fight, forcing him out of action once again. He later underwent reconstructive surgery and is now focused on the long road back, working through rehabilitation and physical therapy.

With Conor McGregor’s knee recovery still underway, his return to full MMA training has been pushed back until the joint is stable enough for him to safely get back to work. ‘The Notorious’ still has one fight left on his current UFC contract, with a comeback currently being targeted for IFW 2027.

But for now, the latest chapter of this saga has nothing to do with the Octagon. Samantha O’Reilly and Steve Cummins will have to face the perjury charges in court, while McGregor’s own civil appeal is officially over after the Supreme Court declined to hear the case.

The former UFC champion may be waiting for his return to the cage, but the legal fallout surrounding the Nikita Hand case is clearly not finished yet.