Artem Lobov Suing Conor McGregor Over Proper No. 12 Whiskey Sale

Artem Lobov is suing close friend and training partner Conor McGregor regarding a dispute over the sale of McGregor’s Proper No. 12 Whiskey, according to the Irish Independent.

McGregor, along with partners Audie Attar and Ken Austin, sold their majority share of the whiskey brand for $600 milion in 2021. Lobov is suing for five percent of the revenue from the sale, as he claims he was key in helping develop the brand. Lobov claims McGregor offered him $1 million, but he turned it down.

Lobov’s attorney, Dermot McNamara, released a statement on the matter.

“My client is a retired professional fighter with a master’s degree from DCU in Finance and Capital Markets,” the statement read. “We have issued High Court proceedings on his behalf to enforce an agreement with Mr McGregor regarding the Proper No. Twelve whiskey brand. My client was the initial creator and co-founder of the concept to launch an Irish whiskey brand associated with Mr McGregor. As these matters are now before the court, we will not be making any further comment.”

According to the report, Lobov has claimed that he discussed the idea of releasing a whiskey brand with McGregor during a gym session. He also claims to have convinced McGregor that Irish whiskey would be more lucrative than a vodka release in Iceland, a notion the former UFC champion also reportedly considered. Lobov says that he met with distilleries and “put a beautiful deal together” for Proper No. 12. The whiskey debuted in 2018, and more than six million bottles were sold in the first two-and-half years after its release.

McGregor representative Karen J. Kessler denied that Lobov had any claim to the whiskey in a statement.

"Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey was created, developed, branded and tirelessly promoted by Conor McGregor,” the statement read. "Any suggestion that the plaintiff has a claim to Proper No. Twelve is incorrect."