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.
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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.”