Conor McGregor issued a fiery response to Artem Lobov after being sued by his ex-teammate.
Former two-division UFC champion McGregor has been out of action since taking on Dustin Poirier for the third time in Jul. 2021 at UFC 264. He suffered a horrific leg break injury in the outing that has kept him sidelined since, with a potential comeback looking likely sometime next year.
He was recently hit with a lawsuit by his former teammate and friend Lobov, who alleged he came up with the idea of Proper 12.
Conor McGregor goes off on Artem Lobov for filing a lawsuit over the Proper 12 deal
In a recent audio clip posted on Twitter, Conor McGregor shared his reaction to Lobov claiming his cut from the Proper 12 whiskey deal and taking legal action for the same.
“Artem is a rat,” repeats McGregor. “Na-na na-na, hey! Artem is a rat.”
Lobov claimed he came up with the idea & sued McGregor to get his cut
In a surprising turn of events, Lobov suddenly vocalized his side of the story about the launch of McGregor’s whiskey brand. McGregor reportedly sold his stake in Proper Twelve along with his partners for around $600 million last year. It is suggested he might have banked about $150 million from the deal.
“My client is a retired professional fighter with a master’s degree from DCU in Finance and Capital Markets,” Lobov’s attorney, Dermot McNamara said. “We have issued High Court proceedings on his behalf to enforce an agreement with Mr McGregor regarding the Proper No. 12 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 an interview Lobov gave in August, he will publish a book that will document his career and relationship with McGregor, as well as the process that led to the creation of Proper No. Twelve.
Although the book has been teased for late 2022, no release date has been set, so fans will have to wait for more details about Lobov’s motivation for pursuing legal action against his teammate and former friend.
Conor McGregor revealed that he would be clear to enter the USADA drug testing pool in February and is targeting a return to the octagon in the second quarter of 2023.