Irish mixed martial artist Conor McGregor raped a woman in a Dublin hotel, the city’s High Court has heard.

The alleged victim is seeking civil damages against Mr McGregor and another man, claiming she was sexually assaulted in 2018.

But, the court heard on Tuesday, Mr McGregor’s lawyers say the woman is trying to extort money.

The fighter, nicknamed ‘Notorious’, was in court to hear Judge Alexander Owens tell the jury that the woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by Mr McGregor and James Lawrence on December 9.

The judge said the pair were alleged to have “actually raped her”.

The court was told Mr McGregor picked up the woman and her friend following a Christmas party on December 8.

John Gordon SC for the alleged victim said the pair knew each other as they were in the same age group, from the same area and had mutual friends and were in contact at various times through social media.

At the time, she was living in a Dublin suburb with her partner and child. She was out with friends on the night of the alleged incident.

During the night, she had been drinking and had taken some cocaine. The court also heard that she suffered from depression and had taken anti-depressants.

The court was told that later in the night the woman and two of her friends returned to her workplace where they continued to party and at one point contacted Mr McGregor.

Mr McGregor took her and her friend in his car and the alleged victim understood they were to be taken to another party.

He sat in the back seat with the two women as his driver drove them around the estates and honked his horn.

They later went to Mr Lawrence’s house, who joined them in the car.

The court was told Mr McGregor had a bag of cocaine, which was shared between Mr McGregor, the complainant and her girlfriend.

The group, which included the plaintiff, Mr McGregor, as well as his security team and others, then went to a penthouse suite in the Beacon Hotel in Dublin.

The court was told they were all drinking and laughing. At one point, Mr. McGregor entered a bedroom and motioned for the plaintiff to join him.

The court was told Mr McGregor “came on to her” but she did not want to have sex with him because she was on her period.

Mr Gordon told the court he claimed Mr McGregor pinned her to the bed and that she was physically unfit for him.

“She’ll tell you she was nervous, she tried to push him off her but she couldn’t do it,” he added.

“You will see images of her hands and wrists, which are black and blue. You will see that her left breast has a bloody scratch. The scratch is there because he was wearing a watch and had his hands up to protect himself. She was pressed. down and the clock ticked her breast.

“Mr McGregor flips her over and then puts his arm in a headlock and pulls her by the throat. She can’t breathe. And he does it again.

“By the third time she does it, she gives up. He can’t take it anymore. During it, he says, “Now you know what it was like to be in the Octagon when I went down three times. ‘

“She was at this point completely terrified. He submitted to what was about to happen, which was a violent and vicious attack.”

She later allegedly had sex with Mr Lawrence, but Mr Gordon said he had no recollection of such an event ever happening.

The claimant then went home and visited her mother, who called 999. She was taken to hospital by ambulance. The court was told she was shaking and in pain as she was taken to hospital.

Mr Gordon said: “On the face of it, Mr McGregor will tell you that this was a consensual encounter, that they were just having fun and having a bit of rough sex. This is his answer.

“What did I say about common sense? Don’t be fooled into leaving him behind in this (court) room.

“What he’s saying is that she gave him license to commit what must have been a brutal attack on her body.”

The defense argued in the evidence booklet that the plaintiff had several opportunities to complain to people about how she was treated, but she did not.

He will also claim that the alleged victim is engaged in an extortion scheme, the court heard.

Mr Gordon said his client was being called a “gold digger and fraud”, adding: “Brave. But where is the courage in that? Courage is ultimately with my client.

“Because he has fulfilled his mission of vindication and compensation to which he is entitled. And that these defendants should easily and readily settle her claim is a thing you will consider in due course.”

Earlier, the jury was sworn in at the High Court and said they are the judges of fact as to what happened and they will have to draw a conclusion and that will be based on their decision.

The action is expected to last about two weeks.