Conor McGregor has paid compensation to Artem Lobov, who claimed he helped create the Proper Twelve whiskey brand and had previously filed a lawsuit. McGregor reportedly earned over $100 million from selling his shares in the whiskey company. Both McGregor and Lobov declined to disclose the specific amount of the settlement. Lobov had previously claimed he was the one who came up with the whiskey idea. The dispute between the former training partners has now been resolved financially.
Conor McGregor has reached a financial settlement with longtime friend and former training partner Artem Lobov, resolving a compensation dispute tied to the creation of the Proper Twelve Irish whiskey brand.
Lobov had filed a lawsuit against McGregor, claiming he was the original architect of the whiskey idea and deserved a share of the proceeds. McGregor reportedly earned more than $100 million from selling his stake in the brand. The specific terms of the settlement were not disclosed by either party.
McGregor, 37, is one of the most recognizable figures in combat sports history. The Dublin-born southpaw holds a professional MMA record of 22-6-0 and built his name competing out of SBG Ireland. Inside the cage, he averaged 5.32 significant strikes landed per minute with a 49 percent striking accuracy — numbers that helped turn him into a global brand long before the whiskey venture materialized.
Lobov, 39, is a fellow SBG Ireland product and Irish-based fighter who carried a record of 13-15-1 across his MMA career. The Russian-born southpaw, standing five-foot-nine with a 65-inch reach, was a consistent presence in McGregor's corner and inner circle during the peak years of McGregor's rise. He landed 3.52 significant strikes per minute during his fighting career, with a striking accuracy of 41 percent.
Why it matters
- The settlement closes a legal dispute that had strained one of the more prominent friendships in MMA
- Lobov's claim centered on intellectual contribution to a brand that generated nine-figure returns for McGregor
- Neither side confirmed the payout, leaving the financial scope of the resolution unknown
- The outcome underscores the business complications that can emerge when fight-world relationships intersect with commercial ventures worth hundreds of millions of dollars
