Artem Lobov and Conor McGregor (Credits: UFC)
Conor McGregor is being sued for millions by his ex-friend and sparring partner Artem Lobov over the sale of Proper No. Twelve whiskey
Artem Lobov, a friend and former teammate of Conor McGregor’s, is suing him for millions of pounds because he claims to be the one who came up with the idea for McGregor’s Proper 12 whiskey brand. The news was first reported by the Irish Independent.
After losing to Floyd Mayweather in the second-highest paid fight in combat sports history, McGregor, then 34, capitalised on his fame by releasing the beverage in 2018. Three years later, the Irishman was one of three shareholders who sold their shares for $600 million (£430 million).
Even so, Lobov is now asking for five percent of the earnings as compensation for his time spent competing in the UFC, where he went two for seven. The 36-year-old Russian, who trained with McGregor and was in his corner for some of his biggest fights, filed his legal action against him on Tuesday.
His solicitor, Dermot McNamara, told the Irish Independent: “My client is a retired professional fighter with a master’s degree from DCU in Finance and Capital Markets. We have issued High Court proceedings on his behalf to enforce an agreement with Mr McGregor regarding the Proper No. Twelve whiskey brand. As these matters are now before the court, we will not be making any further comment.”
For his part, Lobov has previously claimed that he came up with the idea for the whiskey brand and that he turned down $1 million in payment from McGregor. “The selling point of my book will be the Proper 12 Whiskey story. A few people know, but this was actually my idea.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from the sport with an untarnished 29-0 record. His father’s death influenced his decision to retire, and he was one of the few fighters to do so while still in their prime. Despite the fact that he has been retired for over a year, McGregor and Khabib maintain a hostile relationship and have engaged in several Twitter tirades. Most recently, during a recent speaking engagement with Class A Events in Toronto, the now-retired mixed martial artist & coach took a shot at the Irishman. McGregor, obviously retaliated and the MMA world exploded.
While speaking about the current landscape of MMA in Dagestan, the Russian referenced a past quote by ‘The Notorious’:
“Right now we have current UFC & Bellator lightweight champions. And this is amazing, this is amazing. I hear, like, long time ago, when one guy was talking about, ‘We’re here to take over.’ But, we’re here to take over.”
In a reply on Twitter that has since been deleted, McGregor wrote:
“I fight on! Your fathers plan is never complete because you quit and ran, brother. God bless. I’m still here if you wanna go again. But your fear of defeat means you’ve already lost. Run from it all you want. We all lose in the end. Death takes us all. I fear nothing but God”
Of late, McGregor posted another image of him in what looks like a post-cardio session, flexing his gain. Conor McGregor referenced the classic Nick Diaz quote that has stayed with MMA fans and media members since then. The quote has been recycled, made into T-shirts, memed, and is referenced by fighters every now and then. Diaz spontaneously said it after his controversial loss to KJ Noons.
McGregor took to Twitter and wrote:
“Don’t be scared homie.”
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