Lobov files suit vs. McGregor over whiskey brand

Conor McGregor's longtime teammate and person is suing him for millions, claiming helium was instrumental successful launching McGregor's Proper No. Twelve whiskey brand.

Artem Lobov, a UFC veteran, filed a suit successful Ireland's High Court connected Tuesday, asserting that helium was a laminitis of the institution and has not been fixed his just portion of the gross generated by the precise palmy whiskey, Lobov's lawyer Dermot McNamara confirmed with ESPN connected Thursday.

The Independent was the archetypal to study the news. The Irish paper reported that Lobov is seeking 5% of the proceeds McGregor got from selling Proper No. Twelve to Jose Cuervo's genitor institution past year. McGregor and partners reportedly garnered $600 cardinal successful the sale. The Independent reported that Lobov's lawsuit volition effort to amusement that determination was a woody successful spot for Lobov to get a percentage, but it was not honored.

"I cannot marque immoderate remark astatine this signifier but to accidental that we mean to use successful the adjacent fewer weeks to person the lawsuit admitted to the Commercial Division (Fast Track Court) of the High Court," McNamara told ESPN successful an email.

McGregor is the UFC's biggest prima and erstwhile a adjacent person of Lobov. The 2 trained unneurotic for years astatine SBG Ireland and McGregor was adjacent Lobov's manager connected The Ultimate Fighter, assisting successful getting Lobov a UFC contract. Lobov said successful an interrogation implicit the summertime with England's TalkSport that McGregor erstwhile offered him $1 cardinal for his relation successful Proper No. Twelve, but Lobov turned it down.

"Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey was created, developed, branded and tirelessly promoted by Conor McGregor," McGregor spokesperson Karen Kessler wrote successful a statement. "Any proposition that the plaintiff has a assertion to Proper No. Twelve is incorrect."

Lobov said successful that TalkSport interrogation successful August that McGregor asked his proposal years agone astir the thought of starting a vodka marque successful Iceland with Game of Thrones histrion Hafthor Julius Bjornsson, amended known arsenic "The Mountain." Lobov, a Russia autochthonal who has lived successful Ireland for years, said helium past gave his transportation astir Irish whiskey, which helium did a presumption connected successful college. Irish whiskey, Lobov explained, was erstwhile a ascendant force, but it had go fundamentally conscionable a Jameson-controlled marketplace successful caller years.

"In my caput I was thinking, what a amended antheral than Conor McGregor to bring Irish whiskey backmost to its stardom?" Lobov told TalkSport. "He did it with fighting."

According to Lobov, McGregor past instructed him to enactment a woody together, which Lobov did. When Lobov brought a woody backmost to McGregor, Lobov said McGregor told him to enactment connected it with McGregor's Paradigm absorption company.

"As you tin see, it was a monolithic success," Lobov said successful the interview. "I'm really, truly blessed to spot that and I'm blessed to beryllium portion of it."

Lobov was a cardinal fig successful McGregor's long-running feud with chap UFC large Khabib Nurmagomedov. In 2018, Nurmagomedov and his squad cornered Lobov successful a edifice hallway during a UFC combat week implicit comments Lobov made successful the media. In a video that surfaced, Nurmagomedov appeared to slap Lobov.

The incidental caused McGregor and much than a twelve others to committee a level from Ireland and past tempest the loading dock of the Barclays Center successful Brooklyn aboriginal that week successful hunt of Nurmagomedov. McGregor threw a dolly done a model of a autobus which held UFC fighters during that disfigured incident, which got him arrested.