No stranger to scandal, Irish mixed martial artist Conor McGregor was recently found liable in a rape case linked to an incident in Dublin from late 2018.
Following the court’s decision against him in a civil suit, which ordered McGregor to compensate the victim approximately €250,000 (~$263,125), the already declining appeal of the celebrity took another significant blow.
Research by Finbold revealed that from November 22—the date of the court ruling—until December 2, the last full day before this report, McGregor lost around 160,918 followers on Instagram.
This figure indicates that the UFC fighter averaged a loss of 14,629 fans each day over the course of 11 days, with the steepest decline occurring on November 24, when 42,719 followers opted to ‘unfollow.’
McGregor’s finances feel a larger impact than his Instagram
As of December 2, McGregor maintained over 47.3 million Instagram followers, yet data from December 3 indicated an additional loss of 2,000 followers, amounting to a daily decline of 0.004%.
In addition to his social media difficulties, he also experienced severe hits to his business interests.
The wave of lost sponsorships and partnerships—likely to have a more significant impact on McGregor—has been making headlines in recent weeks.
For instance, numerous supermarkets in Great Britain and Ireland have stopped using the fighter’s name and likeness in their marketing and stores. The same is true for Proximo Spirits, the company that purchased McGregor’s whiskey brand a few years back, according to a December 1 BBC report.
Crypto initiatives and rivals capitalize on McGregor’s downfall
Additionally, several projects have targeted Conor McGregor in a bid to take advantage of his diminished status. Notably, Khabib Nurmagomedov—one of McGregor’s opponents in the ring—promoted a cryptocurrency initiative named Convict McGregor (CONVICT) in late November.
However, it’s important to note that although CONVICT claims to aim at raising funds for the legal expenses of McGregor’s victims, many view it as a typical cryptocurrency scam.
McGregor benefits from Logan Paul rivalry as much as he lost from legal setbacks
Finally, Finbold also found that legal controversies are often overshadowed by celebrity disputes on social media.
Between November 17 and November 22, Conor McGregor gained over 100,000 followers, driven by increased attention from an online clash with Jake Paul.
Jake Paul, who recently participated in a high-profile fight against boxing legend Mike Tyson, issued a challenge for McGregor to be his next opponent.
McGregor not only declined the fight but also engaged with a meme that emerged regarding the age disparity between Tyson and Paul, humorously suggesting that Mitch McConnell—an 82-year-old American politician—would be a more fitting opponent for Paul.
Image Source: Michael Potts F1 / Shutterstock
