He was the famous boxer, she was the mother-of-one.

It was in a penthouse suite in Dublin in December 2018 after a work Christmas party, that Nikita Hand was raped by one of the biggest stars in UFC history.

The hairdresser and mother-of-one was invited with a couple of her colleagues to kick-ons by professional boxer Conor McGregor at his hotel. She knew his partner's family, and her own partner was close friends with his partner's brother.

It was a Saturday night and they were having fun, until she says he came on to her.

She told him that she didn't feel comfortable. She told him she didn't want to have sex and was on her period. But McGregor wouldn't take no for an answer.

Conor McGregor has been found guilty in a civil rape case. Image: AAP.

It was then that Hand recalls being pinned to a bed and placed in a choke-hold before being assaulted. Unable to breathe and fearful she wouldn't see her daughter again, Hand stopped fighting and "let happen what was going to happen".

The damage was so extensive a paramedic told the court she had not seen "someone so bruised" in a long time, and a doctor had to use forceps to remove a tampon that had been wedged into the top of her cervix.

Hand went straight to a sexual assault treatment unit, and reported the incident to police. But in 2020, prosecutors declined to bring charges, citing insufficient evidence and an unlikely chance at a conviction.

The only path left was a civil case, which does not need to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, but on the balance of probabilities.

The 35-year-old endured eight days of evidence, while the weight of McGregor's supporters rained down vile criticism and critique on her every chance they got.

Finally, this week, after six years of fighting for justice, her story was believed by a court of law.

Hand won her civil claim against McGregor after a jury found him guilty of sexual assault, awarding her AUD $397,623 in damages.

But fighting for that outcome has been far from an easy choice.

Watch: Nikita Hand outside court.

McGregor has consistently denied the allegations, insisting the encounter was consensual, calling Hand's account "lies" and "fantasy".

She's been called a fraud and a gold-digger, and even had a gang of masked men (believed to be supporters of McGregor) break into her home, smash her windows and stab her boyfriend.

But this is not the first time McGregor has fought allegations of this nature.

In 2019, police received a complaint against McGregor from a woman who said he had sexually assaulted her in a car outside a Dublin pub.

In 2020, he was detained and questioned by authorities on the French island of Corsica for alleged indecent exposure and sexual assault in a bar.

In 2022, a woman accused him of physically assaulting her on a yacht in Ibizia.

Throughout it all, McGregor has continued to compete at the highest level — he was even named the world's highest-paid athlete in 2021, earning $180 million.

He did admit to infidelity against his wife and the mother of his four children, but that has barely rated a mention amongst his fans, with one high-profile news website going so far as to report that "life has been tough" for the Irish MMA star as he's faced the allegations.

Tough? Tough?

Hand has had to explain to a court and jury about the intricacies of her period, and watch a physician give evidence about how uncommon it is for women to choose to have intercourse while wearing a tampon.

She has told a jury about the worst night of her life in minute detail, as the world's media watched on and the public gallery remained packed.

She has been diagnosed with PTSD and has been unable to continue working due to her mental health, which has led to her being unable to continue to afford her mortgage or counselling sessions.

Her life since that December 2018 incident has been 'tough,' McGregor's life has remained untouched.

Nikita Hand has fought for six years for justice. Image: AAP.

"I want to thank my daughter Freya who I'm most grateful for," Hand told the media outside court.

"She has given me so much strength and courage over the last six years throughout this nightmare, to keep on pushing forward for justice.

"I want to show Freya and every other girl and boy that you can stand up for yourself if something happens to you, no matter who the person is."

She added, "To all the victims of sexual assault, I hope my story is a reminder that no matter how afraid you might be, speak up, you have a voice and keep on fighting for justice".

Hand's story is a triumph for both her and other victim-survivors, but it's also a grim reminder of just how hard it can be to fight for justice in cases like this.

Not just because of the depressingly low statistics when it comes to successfully winning a rape case, but the unimaginable trauma victim-survivors face when they choose to take on the rich and powerful.

Feature image: AAP/Brian Lawless

If this has raised any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)—the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service.