Conor McGregor could face further commercial pain if backlash goes international

The commercial backlash against Conor McGregor after a civil jury found him liable for assault could hit him even harder if repercussions reach Britain and America.

McGregor (36) last week lost a civil court case in which Nikita Hand (35) claimed he raped her and this week, over a dozen businesses have cut all ties to him.

He was the world's best-paid sports star with €180m in 2021 but an award-winning finance expert has now warned McGregor about his estimated €300m fortune.

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Tom Lyons claimed that McGregor faces more commercial pain after Irish off-licences began cutting ties with stout and whiskey brands associated with the mixed martial artist.

McGregor-attached products have already been delisted in the UK, according to Lyons. He said supermarket chain Asda and alcohol off-sales company LWC Drinks, which distributes drinks to 15,000 stores, have stopped stocking McGregor’s products.

Lyons added: "On the drinks side, he has been badly hit, both here in Ireland and it is spreading to the UK.

"This finding has certainly impacted his brand. He launched it in 2020 but it has been stopped in its tracks."

He continued: "Is [he] damaged in the United States? So far, we don’t see that same push back.

"This is certainly going to cost him tens of millions [of Euro]. He has invested around €9m from his company on his stout. He spent a lot of money.

"He is going to find it tough to sell the stout in Ireland or in the UK. He would have been paid several million a year as a brand ambassador for the whiskey.

"The whiskey company said it is no longer going to deal with him, so he is now going to miss out on that.

"The real question is: does this spread to the United States? That’s where the big sponsors are. Has it reached Asia? He is globally famous."

McGregor, who made an estimated US$40m (€37m) last year, became a millionaire as one of the biggest stars for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

After last week’s finding, McGregor vowed on social media that he is "getting back to the gym - the fight game awaits."

The UFC was yesterday asked to clarify its position and to state whether the civil court finding against McGregor would stop him again profiting under the UFC banner.

The Irish Mirror yesterday revealed that McGregor’s business empire suffered a blow of almost £9.5million.

Accounts of Forged Stout Distribution Limited detail McGregor's biggest hit with a recorded loss of €5,197,394.

Forged Stout Production Limited showed a loss of €3,053,141 and Forged Stout Limited has debts of €828,492.

Jemi Ventures Limited, which is linked to McGregor's Black Forge pub, showed a loss of €2,227,467.

Calls for people to unfollow McGregor resulted in a loss of 105,000 Instagram followers in the first days of the backlash against McGregor, who formerly had 47 million followers across all social media and could charge €100,000 to post a promotion.

Rape crisis campaigners in Ireland urged all companies not to do business with him.

An estimated 1,000 stores across Ireland and the UK have since decided to no longer sell whiskey and stout brands linked to McGregor.

The Irish Mirror reported that a list of companies in Ireland have delisted McGregor. These include a video game firm, the Circle K forecourt chain, drinks company Proximo Spirits, supermarket giants Tesco and SuperValu, off-licence chains like Carry Out and O’Brien’s Wines, and shops Costcutter, Centra, Spar, Eurospar, Mace, Londis and XL Stores, plus both Dublin and Cork Airports.

The National Wax Museum has removed a sculpture of him and further well-known businesses like Dunnes Stores have been asked to clarify their positions.

Meanwhile, McGregor’s home area soccer club Lourdes Celtic FC has confirmed to the Irish Mirror that it has decided to remove his name from players’ jerseys.

A source said: "The club held a meeting. We are taking action, but there is no official comment at this stage. We will be making a statement.

"We want to let all the parents and kids know first. His name will be removed from the shirts."

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