Conor McGregor dropped from ANOTHER brand: Wetherspoon takes shamed MMA star’s stout off tap in the wake of his civil rape case loss

JD Wetherspoon has become the latest major brand to distance itself from Conor McGregor after the chain pulled the MMA star’s drinks from Irish pubs.

The pub chain has confirmed it has withdrawn the shamed fighter’s Forged Irish Stout from the taps at all seven off-licences in the Republic of Ireland.

Wetherspoon released a brief statement confirming the move but did not provide a reason.

A spokesperson said: ‘Wetherspoon has made the decision to remove the product, Forged Stout, from pubs in ROI.’

It comes after a civil jury last week found McGregor, 36, liable for the rape of Nikita Hand in a Dublin hotel in December 2018.

Ms Hand, 35, was awarded almost €250,000 in damages.

McGregor has vowed to appeal the verdict, while his fiancée Dee Devlin came to his defense on Tuesday night as she launched an angry tirade against his accuser online.

Pictured here is the Keavan’s Port JD Wetherspoon in Dublin, Ireland

Posting a blistering attack on Ms Hand on her Instagram, she told her: ‘My sons will be warned that women like you exist in the world.’

Earlier this week, MailOnline exclusively revealed that a host of major UK retailers are set to withdraw McGregor-affiliated drinks from sale.

Tesco, with more than 3,400 stores in the UK, Asda, with more than 1,200 UK stores, and major food delivery service Ocado have all confirmed they will no longer stock or sell Proper 12 whiskey or Forged Irish Stout.

The Irish fighter was the face of both brands, appearing in adverts and promotional material across a range of platforms, with the whiskey brand Proper 12 named after McGregor’s home post district in Dublin.

In a statement to MailOnline, a Tesco spokesperson said: ‘We can confirm that we are withdrawing Proper No 12 Whiskey from sale in Tesco stores and online.’

An Asda spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘I can confirm that we have removed Forged Irish Stout from sale in store and online and have informed the supplier of this decision.’

An Ocado spokesperson was also unable to comment, but did confirm that alcoholic drinks linked to McGregor would no longer be sold by the food delivery service and have been removed from stock as of today.

The news that major British retailers are distancing themselves from the MMA star comes from Irish distributors confirming that they would also be withdrawing both Proper 12 whiskey and Forged Irish Stout from sale.

Ireland’s largest food retail company Musgraves confirmed to The Valuta on Tuesday morning that they would be axing drinks linked to McGregor.

Conor McGregor lost his civil sexual assault case against Nikita in the Irish courts last week

Now a number of major UK retailers have revealed to MailOnline that they are withdrawing drinks brands affiliated with McGregor

Both Proper 12 Whiskey and Forged Irish Stout are no longer sold by Tesco and Ocado

McGregor has been accused of sexual assault on four other occasions, all of which were dismissed by police, most recently in Miami during last year’s NBA Finals.

In all cases, he has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and on at least one occasion, sources close to him said the sexual assault allegations were mendacious and related to money.

However, on this occasion a jury found that McGregor had assaulted Ms Hand at The Beacon hotel in Dublin in December 2018.

The jury at the High Court in Dublin deliberated for a day before reaching a verdict that McGregor had assaulted Ms Hand.

After eight days of evidence and another three days of listening to closing speeches and the judge’s remarks, the jury of eight women and four men spent just over six hours deliberating before returning with their verdict.

As the verdict was read out, McGregor shook his head as Ms Hand cried and was hugged by her partner and supporters.

In emotional scenes outside court after the verdict, Ms Hand told reporters she was “overwhelmed and moved” by the support she had received.

She added: “I want to show it [my daughter] Freya and all other young girls and boys that if something happens to you, you can stand up for yourself, no matter who the person is, and that justice will be done.”

Hand has been comforted by the decision after two weeks of hearings in Dublin

After six hours and ten minutes of deliberation, the jury returned with their verdict on Friday

McGregor and his partner, Dee Devlin, outside the High Court in Dublin after Friday’s ruling

The Proper 12 Irish Whiskey brand was first launched in 2018 by McGregor, with the fighter and his team eventually selling the brand for a reported retail price of around £500 million.

McGregor himself put an estimated £120 million into the deal when he sold his majority stake, but has remained a prominent promoter of the whiskey since its acquisition by Proximo Spirits in 2021.

The former two-division UFC champion also currently owns a business empire in his native Ireland, with popular Dublin pub The Blackforge Inn taking center stage.

McGregor has spent an estimated £2.5 million on the purchase and renovation of the site on Dublin’s Longmile Road, which has become the social media backdrop for the online promotion of both Proper 12 whiskey and Forged Irish Stout.

Meanwhile, three companies behind Mr McGregor’s Forged Irish Stout reported a combined loss of more than €9 million last year.

The losses predate the supermarket’s backlash against stocking the disgraced MMA fighter’s brands after he lost a civil damages case to Ms Hand.

New reports published this week show that McGregor Forged Stout Distribution Ltd, which distributes its beer brand, made a loss of €5.2 million in the year to December 2023, according to documents at the Irish Companies Registration Office.

Separate financial accounts for Forged Stout Production Ltd show the company made a loss of €3.05 million last year.

Parent company Forged Stout Ltd had losses of almost €828,500 last year, CRO data shows, taking its combined losses to €9,079,027.

A number of other leading UK retailers have been contacted by MailOnline but are yet to comment on whether or not they will stock both McGregor-affiliated drinks.