Conor
McGregor will no longer be the face of Proper No. 12 Whiskey,
according to a report from the Irish Independent.
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Proximo Spirits, which owns the whiskey brand, announced that it
will no longer use McGregor’s name or likeness in association with
the drink. The decision comes after McGregor was
found liable for sexual assault during a civil lawsuit in
Dublin High Court last week. The UFC star was ordered to pay more
than $250,000 in damages to the victim, Nikita Hand.
“Since 2021, Proximo Spirits has been the 100pc owner of Proper No.
12 Irish Whiskey,” Proximo Spirits said. “Going forward, we do not
plan to use Mr. McGregor’s name and likeness in the marketing of
the brand.”
McGregor and his partners
sold their majority stake in the whiskey brand to Proximo
Spirits – which had been a 49% owner — in 2021 for a reported $600
million. Even after the sale, McGregor maintained an active role
within the company as a spokeperson and representative of the
brand.
According to the report, multiple retail chains in Ireland have
pulled drinks associated with McGregor – including Proper No. 12
and Forged Irish Stout – from their shelves. One of those
companies, the Barry Group, which owns multiple outlets, stated
that the decision “reflects our commitment to maintaining a retail
environment that resonates with the values of our customers and
partners.”
Earlier this week, video game developer IO Interactive announced
that McGregor would be
pulled from its “Hitman: World of Assassination” game. The
Irish star had been a downloadable character but will no longer be
available. According to the Irish Independent, “other businesses
linked to the fighter are also under pressure to dissociate
themselves from his products.”
Meanwhile, the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre issued a statement asking
for support of Hand following the civil suit ruling. The
organization urged the public to “examine whether the brands they
associate with or follow are consistent with their own values and
are opposed to violence against women.”
McGregor
posted his own statement on social media on Monday, denying
that he committed sexual assault while expressing remorse for
cheating on his partner, Dee Devlin. The Dublin native also stated
the he plans to appeal the ruling. The UFC has not publicly
commented on the situation.
McGregor was scheduled to return to the Octagon for the first time
since July 2021 against Michael
Chandler in the UFC 303 main event this past June. However, he
pulled out of the fight on the week of the event due to a broken
toe. Since then, a timetable for his next fight has been unclear.