Former mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Conor McGregor has begun an appeal against the finding of a civil rape case.

In 2024 a woman who accused him of raping her won her claim against him for damages.

A jury found McGregor sexually assaulted Nikita Hand in a Dublin hotel in December 2018.

He was ordered to pay her more than €248,000 (£206,000) in damages.

Ireland's Court of Appeal was told on Tuesday morning that McGregor had withdrawn an application to have new evidence entered at the appeal.

The proposed evidence was from a couple, Samantha O'Reilly and Steven Cummins, who are former neighbours of Nikita Hand.

A previous preliminary hearing was told that they claimed to have witnessed a row between Ms Hand and her former partner Stephen Redmond in December 2018.

The court heard McGregor believed the new evidence suggested that bruising on Nikita Hand's body could have been caused by her former partner.

In an affidavit, Ms Hand had described the allegations as untrue and lies.

| A group of people, including TD (Irish MP) Ruth Coppinger (second from right) , gathered outside the court in support for Nikita Hand

A lawyer for Ms Hand said she had responded to the suggested new evidence by saying it was "all lies" and that had now been conceded.

He also said McGregor should be referred for "subornation of perjury", meaning inducing people to commit perjury.

McGregor has also abandoned an application to introduce new evidence from the former state pathologist for Northern Ireland Prof Jack Crane.

What is the basis for McGregor's appeal?

The appeal is based around several issues arising from the civil trial at Dublin's High Court last year.

They include reference to the question "did Conor McGregor assault Nikita Hand?" being asked of the jury on the issue paper.

Conor McGregor's legal team say it should have specified sexual assault.

However, a barrister for Ms Hand said "assault" covers a wide variety of assaults adding "what we were dealing with was assault by rape".

He added the question put to the jury "was agreed and the jury could not have been confused by it".

McGregor is also appealing an issue around the handling of his answers in interviews with gardaí (Irish police officers).

His legal team explained that the jury heard McGregor gave about 100 "no comment" answers to gardaí.

His barrister said he had a right to silence in police interviews and it was "left hanging", allowing the jury to draw an adverse inference.

Ms Hand's legal team countered this argument by saying that if this was such a serious issue for McGregor at the time "surely an application to discharge the jury would have been made".

Her barrister said such an application was not made.

McGregor's legal appeal is also raising an issue about the judge's charge to the jury during the civil trial.

The appeal is being heard before three Appeal Court judges.

Ms Hand attended Tuesday's hearing along with family and friends.