JD Wetherspoon has become the latest big-name brand to distance itself from Conor McGregor after the chain removed the MMA star’s alcoholic drinks from its Irish pubs.
The pub chain has confirmed it has removed the shamed wrestler’s Forged Irish Stout from its taps at its seven bars in the Republic of Ireland.
Wetherspoon issued a brief statement confirming the move, but did not provide a reason.
A spokesperson said: “Wetherspoon has taken the decision to withdraw the Forged Stout product from its pubs at ROI.”
It comes after a civil jury last week found McGregor, 36, responsible for raping Nikita Hand in a Dublin hotel in December 2018.
Mrs Hand, 35, received almost 250,000 euros in compensation.
McGregor has vowed to appeal the verdict, while his fiancée Dee Devlin jumped to his defense on Tuesday night as he launched a furious online rant against his accuser.
Embarrassed MMA fighter Conor McGregor is pictured pouring his own forged Irish stout
Pictured is Keavan’s JD Wetherspoon Port, located in Dublin, Ireland.
In a post on his Instagram, he launched a vicious attack on Mrs Hand, telling her: “My children will be warned that there are women like you in the world.”
Earlier this week, MailOnline exclusively revealed that a number of major UK retailers are set to remove McGregor-affiliated drinks from sale.
Tesco, which has over 3,400 stores across the UK, Asda, with over 1,200 stores in the UK and major food delivery service Ocado, have confirmed they will no longer stock or sell Proper 12 or Forged Irish whiskey Stout.
The Irish fighter was the face of both brands, appearing in adverts and promotional material across a host of platforms, and the Proper 12 whiskey brand is named after McGregor’s home postal district of 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An Asda spokesperson told MailOnline: “I can confirm that we have withdrawn Forged Irish Stout from sale in store and online and have informed the supplier of this decision.”
Similarly, an Ocado spokesperson was unable to comment but confirmed that McGregor-affiliated alcoholic beverages would no longer be sold by the food delivery service and were removed from stock from today.
News that major UK retailers are distancing themselves from the MMA star comes after Irish distributors confirmed they were also withdrawing both Proper 12 whiskey and Forged Irish Stout from sale.
Musgraves, Ireland’s largest food retailer, confirmed to The Currency on Tuesday morning that they would be “delisting” drinks associated with McGregor.
Conor McGregor lost his civil sexual assault case against Nikita Hand in an Irish court last week.
Now, several major UK retailers have revealed to MailOnline that they are removing McGregor-affiliated drinks brands from sale.
Tesco and Ocado will no longer sell Proper 12 Whiskey or Forged Irish Stout
McGregor has been accused of sexual assault on four other occasions, all of which were dismissed by police, most recently in Miami last year at the 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 lies and related to money.
However, on this occasion, a jury found that McGregor assaulted Ms Hand at The Beacon hotel in Dublin in December 2018.
The jury at Dublin High Court had been deliberating for a day before returning its verdict that McGregor assaulted Ms Hand.
After eight days of evidence and another three of listening to the judge’s final speeches and comments, the jury of eight women and four men spent just over six hours deliberating before returning their verdict.
When the verdict was read, McGregor shook his head, while Hand cried and was hugged by her partner and supporters.
In emotional scenes outside the court after the verdict, Ms Hand told reporters she was “overwhelmed and touched” by the support she had received.
He added: “I want to show (my daughter) Freya and all the other boys and girls that you can defend yourself if something happens to you, no matter who the person is, and that justice will be done.”
Hand feels comforted by the decision after two weeks of hearings in Dublin
After deliberating for six hours and 10 minutes, the jury returned with its verdict on Friday.
McGregor and his partner, Dee Devlin, outside the High Court in Dublin following Friday’s verdict.
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 asking price of approximately £500 million.
McGregor himself pocketed approximately £120 million in the deal by selling his majority stake, but has remained a prominent whiskey promoter since its 2021 acquisition by Proximo Spirits.
The former two-division UFC champion also currently owns a business empire in his native Ireland that counts popular Dublin pub The Blackforge Inn as its public-facing crown.
McGregor has spent an estimated £2.5 million purchasing and renovating the venue on Dublin’s Longmile Road, which has become the social media backdrop for the fighter’s online promotion of both Proper 12 whiskey and of the Forged Irish Stout.
MailOnline has contacted other leading UK retailers but they have not yet commented on whether they will continue to sell the two McGregor-affiliated drinks.