Calls to boycott Conor McGregor and his products have emerged after the jury in a civil case found last week that he had assaulted Nikita Hand in Dublin in 2018.
After rising to fame through the UFC, Dublin native McGregor has landed a number of lucrative brand deals, partnerships, and endorsements. He was named the world's top-paid athlete by Forbes in 2021 and he is estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars today.
Most notable of McGregor's products are Proper No Twelve Irish Whiskey, which he launched in 2018 and sold his majority stake to Proximo Spirits for a reported $600 million in 2021, and his Forged Irish Stout, which he launched in 2021.
A large part of McGregor's brand deals and endorsements are his massive social media followings. At the time of publication on Monday, he boasted a staggering 47.4 million followers on Instagram, 15 million followers on Facebook, and 10.6 million followers on X.
Since the start of his civil case in Dublin on November 5, McGregor's Instagram feed featured several product plugs, including for TIDL Sport, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships, Boxbollen, and Forged Irish Stout.
In his Instagram bio, McGregor links to Duelbits, The Mac Life shop, and US rapper Xzibit's new record which was produced on McGregor's label GreenBacks.
With his far-reaching social media following, it's no surprise that advertisers want in on the McGregor brand - but will Friday's court decision change that?
There are now calls for boycotts on all things McGregor after the Irish UFC star was found by a jury to have sexually assaulted Nikita Hand in Dublin in 2018.
Among those calling for a McGregor boycott is the Rape Crisis Network of Ireland (RCNI), which said sponsors and brand partners "need to consider what message they are promoting."
Sponsors and brand partners of Conor McGregor’s need to consider what message they are promoting and what it says about them and their product https://t.co/jdCTalmw5Q
— Rape Crisis Network (@RCNIreland) November 24, 2024
"Stop promoting him"
Clíona Saidléar, the Executive Director of the RCNI, told the Irish Independent: "The companies making money from his alcohol and other products need to look at whether they want to align themselves with a man found by a civil jury to have sexually assaulted a woman."
"They need to stop promoting him and distance themselves... €250,000 won't dent his finances, but the public can play a role here in expressing disapproval for anyone that tries make money with a man who engaged in that despicable behaviour.”
Saidléar further told IrishCentral on Monday that RCNI is asking commercial partners and brands to "consider their ongoing relationship with the Conor McGregor brand."
"There is also a role for consumers," Saidléar added.
"The question is who do we wish to be a role model for our children. What does it say about us that we would align with his brand?
"That brand is now that of someone who has been proven in a civil court to have brutally sexually assaulted a woman."
Conor McGregor. (Getty Images)
Unfollowing Conor McGregor
While the RCNI is calling for a boycott of McGregor products, Reportd.ie, an Irish platform where users can anonymously report sexual assault, has gone viral for its explanation of why unfollowing McGregor makes a difference.
“Publicly supporting people who have committed acts of sexual violence or harassment is a form of acceptance,” Reportd.ie said in its November 23 post that has received more than 50k likes as of Monday.
“Taking the small step of unfollowing perpetrators like Conor McGregor actively shows that you don't support this behaviour.
“It also challenges us to think about how we see public figures and the portrayal of sexual abuse crimes in the media.”
Reportd.ie added: “Continuing to follow McGregor also means financially supporting him; it’s estimated that McGregor makes over €100,000 per sponsored Instagram post.
“Without engaged followers this protected number will dwindle.”
View this post on Instagram
Among the many commenters on Reportd.ie's post was McGregor himself who wrote "Followed," followed by a cry-laughing emoji.
McGregor, meanwhile, has deleted a series of posts on X that he had issued after the jury made its decision on Friday. In one lengthy, now-deleted post, he accused Nikita Hand of being a liar, said that the court was brainwashed by the mainstream media, and that the court reporting was a "laughing stock."
Conor McGregor's comment on Reportd.ie's Instagram post.
As of Monday afternoon, McGregor had lost at least one partnership. IO Interactive, the developers of the Hitman video game franchise, announced they are ceasing collaboration with McGregor effectively immediately.
In light of the recent court ruling regarding Conor McGregor, IO Interactive has made the decision to cease its collaboration with the athlete, effective immediately. We take this matter very seriously and cannot ignore its implications. Consequently, we will begin removing all…
— HITMAN (@Hitman) November 25, 2024
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