The Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation has been seeking to interview Conor McGregor as part of its investigation into alleged perjury connected to his civil appeal, but the former UFC champion has remained out of reach while recovering from injury in California.
According to sources, investigators first reached out to McGregor in September 2025 and attempted contact again in June 2026. The NBCI has also seized a mobile phone from one of McGregor’s associates during the course of the probe. That associate has been questioned by detectives and is now understood to have left the country as well.
The investigation centers on claims that false statements were made during McGregor’s appeal of a civil court finding that he assaulted Nikita Hand in December 2018.
McGregor’s solicitor Ciaran Mulholland responded to inquiries about his client’s availability, stating that McGregor has been out of Ireland since his UFC Las Vegas bout. He said, “Mr McGregor has been out of the jurisdiction since his UFC Las Vegas match and remains out of the jurisdiction under medical care and advice in California. This office made direct contact with Gardaà last September when this matter was first reported in the media confirming Mr McGregor’s willingness to assist Gardaà with their enquiries as a witness.”
The MMA star sustained a serious knee injury during his UFC 329 contest against Max Holloway in July 2026.
When asked whether McGregor would now speak to investigators following the June contact attempt, Mulholland said his client “is willing to assist Gardai and has offered to do this remotely from the US or upon his return to the jurisdiction when he’s medically fit to travel.”
The developments come as two people have been charged with perjury offenses related to the case. Samantha O’Reilly and Steven Cummins both of Cherry Orchard Green in Ballyfermot, appeared before Dublin District Court this week facing charges of making statements they allegedly knew to be false.
O’Reilly faces two counts related to statements allegedly made at Lincoln Lane, Dublin 7, on January 14 and May 6, 2025. Cummins is charged with one count relating to an alleged false statement on January 14, 2025.
The couple had originally come forward as potential witnesses for McGregor’s appeal after reportedly seeing television coverage of the original trial. They claimed to live across the street from Hand and to have witnessed a physcial altercation between her and her then-partner Stephen Redmond on the night of the alleged incident involving McGregor.
In a sworn affidavit, O’Reilly stated she observed from her bedroom window what she described as a “heated row” where Hand was on the ground while Redmond appeared to be “moving his limbs as though he was punching and kicking her.” This account suggested Hand’s injuries could have stemmed from a domestic incident rather than her encounter with McGregor at the Beacon Hotel.
But on the morning O’Reilly and Cummins were scheduled to testify and face cross-examination by Hand’s legal team, their evidence was withdrawn. Hand’s senior counsel John Gordon had raised serious concerns about perjury and what he termed the “subornation of perjury” against McGregor himself.
The Court of Appeal judges made the extraordinary decision to refer the matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions, including the sworn affidavits provided by the couple and additional materials that Hand’s legal team had prepared for cross-examination.
Detective Sergeant Maria Cassells of the Garda NBCI told the court that O’Reilly made no reply when charged after caution. Detective Garda Padraig Hanley said Cummins likewise made no reply when charged.
Judge Michele Finan granted O’Reilly bail on condition that she sign on weekly at Ballyfermot Garda Station between 9am and 9pm, remain contactable on a mobile phone, and have no contact with any witnesses in the case. O’Reilly who told the court she was not working, requested representation from solicitor Tony Colier, though he was not present due to an ongoing solicitor strike.
Cummins received bail under more stringent conditions, requiring him to sign on at Ballyfermot Garda Station daily, remain contactable to gardaà around the clock, and avoid contact with witnesses. He also requested representation from Colier.
Both cases have been adjourned until November 9, 2026.
Under the Perjury Act 2021, knowingly making false sworn statements carries minimum sanctions of €4,000 and twelve months imprisonment. Maximum penalties extend to ten years imprisonment and fines of €100,000.
McGregor’s appeal ultimately proceeded without the couple’s testimony and was dismissed by the Court of Appeal. The mixed martial arts star has consistently maintained that any intimate contact with Hand was consensual.
