Nikita Hand has opened up about the terrifying aftermath of the 2018 assault involving Conor McGregor, revealing that her mother, Debbie, may have saved her life by refusing to let her ignore what had happened.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Brendan O’Connor programme while promoting her new book Not the Perfect Victim, Hand looked back on the night that ultimately led to a civil jury finding McGregor liable for sexually assaulting her in a Dublin hotel. The case ended with Hand being awarded almost $286,887 in damages.

But in the immediate aftermath, Hand says her mother knew something was seriously wrong and pushed her to report the incident and get medical attention.

“Anything could have happened to me,” she said. “Like you know, with the circumstances of what happened, toxic shock syndrome could have happened to me.

“She knew I needed medical help, and that’s what she did for me. So she saved my life.”

Nikita Hand also admitted that the experience left her feeling like she was split between two different versions of herself — the Nikita who existed before that night and the woman she became after it.

And even now, she says she’s still trying to come to terms with that version of herself. Through all of it, though, Hand says her two daughters have given her something to hold on to.

“I’m very lucky,” she continued. “I have two beautiful girls now. I’ve a three-month-old Alba, and I have a 15-year-old Freya.”

“They keep me going, so I’m happy. But I do live with the trauma of what happened to me”.

Her family stayed firmly in her corner throughout the long and exhausting legal battle. Hand has previously described her husband, Gary Foy, as her “superhero”, while continuing to credit her mother for stepping in and making sure she got the medical care she needed after the assault.

And there was another person Hand had in mind whenever things got particularly tough: her teenage daughter, Freya.

Nikita Hand said she wanted Freya to see that, even when life gets incredibly difficult, you can still find the courage to stand up for yourself. Knowing her daughter was watching gave her another reason to keep pushing through the trial.

“She was brilliant,” she added. “She took it on board. I know she looked at me with proudness as well, because she knew her mommy was doing something; she was standing up for herself.

“I wanted my daughter to see that.”

When Hand was asked if there was anything she would still like to say to McGregor, her answer was pretty blunt: she doesn’t feel there is anything left to discuss.

“We don’t need to have a conversation,” she replied. “I don’t forgive him. I gave my evidence. He gave his, and the jury made a decision”.

It’s also worth remembering that this was a civil case, not a criminal trial, so Conor McGregor was not criminally convicted. Still, the High Court jury’s finding that ‘The Notorious’ was civilly liable had consequences that stretched well beyond the courtroom, with the fallout continuing to pile up afterwards.

The fallout that followed Conor McGregor

The fallout didn’t stop with the courtroom either. IO Interactive cut ties with Conor McGregor, who had featured in Hitman: World of Assassination as the downloadable target “The Disruptor”. The developer subsequently pulled content featuring his name and likeness from digital storefronts.

Things also took a hit on the business side. Hundreds of supermarkets across the UK and Ireland removed brands linked to the Irishman. Meanwhile, Proximo Spirits, which acquired his Proper No Twelve whisky brand in 2021, said it would no longer use his name or likeness in its marketing.

The fallout even reached Dublin’s National Wax Museum Plus, which removed Conor McGregor’s wax figure from public display.

Away from all of that, ‘The Notorious’ is now dealing with a very different problem inside the Octagon. The 38-year-old is recovering from a torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee, an injury he suffered during his UFC comeback against Max Holloway at UFC 329 on July 11, 2026.

The return barely lasted 69 seconds. Conor McGregor’s knee buckled as he attempted his first roundhouse kick, forcing the referee to stop the fight and handing ‘Blessed’ a first-round TKO victory.

Despite the setback, McGregor has maintained that his immediate goal is to return for the final fight remaining on his active UFC contract, which he wants to compete in during International Fight Week in 2027.