Imago
Credits: IMAGO
Imago
Credits: IMAGO
Conor McGregor and Artem Lobov were once as thick as thieves. They were bonded by blood, sweat and years of tears they shed at the mats of Dubin’s SBG Gym. So when, according to Lobov admist three people in the gym he was promised a 5% stake for his help in launching the brand for McGregor’s whiskey venture, there was no need for lawyers. Just a handshake deal was done, based on trust and trust alone. Little did they know the venture would go on to become an empire, and that their brotherhood would become a spectacle for the courtrooms.
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This very partnership caused them both to end up in the courtroom of Dublin High Court. Disputes on who owes what and how much broke the brotherhood in an extremely public fallout. But seems like this has finally been put to rest. According to recent reports, including details shared by Home of Fight on X, the dispute between the two former friends and sparring partners has now been resolved.
“McGregor thanked Artem Lobov for his work on the whiskey business,” the report read. “Lobov declined to speak to the media but said he was ‘happy with the resolution.’ Settlement details were not disclosed.”
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McGregor’s barrister Mark Lynam also read out a statement for him, “I’m satisfied that this matter has been resolved and I can focus on my training and this summer’s fight. I want to thank Artem for his hard work for my whiskey business.” However to understand how it reached this point, we have to time travel.
🚨💸 Conor McGregor paid off Artem Lobov following their court dispute over the Proper No. Twelve whiskey company:
Artem Lobov claimed he had a handshake agreement with McGregor in 2017 for 5% of the brand’s sale, saying he helped create it but was later pushed out. McGregor… pic.twitter.com/M1yRUa49cn
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) April 15, 2026
Lobov claimed that he was the one who shaped Proper No. Twelve, the whiskey venture’s direction and played a key role in its foundation. So when in 2021, Proper No. Twelve was sold to Proximo Spirits for $600 million, with McGregor reportedly making an estimated $100 million to $130 million from the sale, Lobov had expectations. He thought he was getting what he was owed.
Following the sale, in 2022, Artem Lobov initiated the lawsuit claiming he was entitled to a 5% stake in the brand’s sale proceeds. Given the deal with Proximo Spirits, his expected share would have been roughly $30 million. McGregor’s side, though, denied that there was any binding deal. Reports even say that he offered Lobov $1 million to settle things far from court, but he turned it down. Finally, the dispute stands settled.
But it was not just that money was the part of the story; the friendship and loyalty were the ones that took a real hit. And their history tells that. Back in 2018 when Lobov was involved in an altercation with Khabib Nurmagomedov, McGregor reacted in a way that stunned the fight world. He flew from Dublin to New York, tracked down Nurmagomedov’s bus, and threw a metal dolly at its window. It’s one of the most chaotic scenes that the UFC has even seen.
He then even surrendered to the police and was charged by the NYPD with three counts of assault and one count of criminal mischief. It sure was reckless, but it showed the loyalty runs deep within them. Which is why this ending, a quiet one, is not surprising as such.
Beneath all the courtroom chaos, there still remains a brotherhood bond, and they would do anything for each other.
Conor McGregor drops a teaser for his long-awaited return to the Octagon
It’s been nearly five years since McGregor last fought, dating back to that 2021 loss to Dustin Poirier, where he suffered a leg break. Since then, his return plans have come and gone. A scheduled fight with Michael Chandler fell apart due to injury, and negotiations have been on hold. But the tone now feels different.
McGregor is back training consistently, based on his social media posts, and more importantly, he’s speaking like someone who expects to fight, not just hopes to.
“I’m coming back to do what I do. Knock people out for my money,” the Irishman shared on X recently, accompanied by training photographs.
That line is simple, but it tells you everything about his mindset. At 37, heading toward 40, he knows the window isn’t wide anymore. So if he returns now, it’s likely for something big.
International Fight Week in July is the obvious target. It’s the UFC’s biggest annual stage, and McGregor has headlined it before. From a business standpoint, it makes sense too. Even after years away, he remains one of the sport’s biggest draws. And that’s where Dana White’s recent comments add a layer of uncertainty.
“Same old, yeah, (nothing new),” the UFC CEO shared after UFC 327 while responding to questions about an update on McGregor’s return. All lights were green the last we heard. So, negotiations might be ongoing with nothing finalized just yet.
With the legal battles behind him, McGregor’s future is no longer in the hands of lawyers but in the hands of Dana White. Now it’s just a matter of whether this time it actually leads to him stepping under the lights of the Octagon one more time.
Written by
Edited by
Gokul Pillai