Conor McGregor being sued by ex-pal Artem Lobov for millions over £500m sale of Proper No. Twelve whiskey amid idea row

CONOR MCGREGOR is being sued for millions by former pal Artem Lobov over his Proper No. Twelve Irish whiskey brand.

The UFC star, 34, is being sued by ex-training partner Lobov, 36, who alleges he was the brains behind the drink.

McGregor sold his controlling stake in the whiskey business, alongside two other shareholders, for a combined £500m last year.

Lobov has now opened court proceedings in Ireland claiming he is entitled to 5 per cent of McGregor’s profits from the sale, according to the Irish Independent.

Retired Russian fighter Lobov, who is based in Ireland, previously claimed he turned down £840,000 from McGregor.

The Notorious will reportedly contest the lawsuit, which is likely to be worth several million pounds.

Lobov’s solicitor, Dermot McNamara told the Irish Independent: “My client is a retired professional fighter with a master’s degree from DCU in Finance and Capital Markets.

“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.”;

JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET A FREE £10 BONUS WITH 100s OF GAMES TO PLAY AND NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED (Ts&Cs apply)

In response, McGregor’s spokesperson claimed suggestions Lobov had a claim to Proper No. Twelve were “incorrect”;.

Karen Kessler also said: “Proper No. Twelve Irish whiskey was created, developed, branded and tirelessly promoted by Conor McGregor.”;

Lobov previously told talkSPORT in the summer: “The selling point of my book will be the Proper No. Twelve Whiskey story.

“A few people know, but this was actually my idea. I was the person who came up with the idea to do a whiskey for Conor.”;

Lobov alleges McGregor initially suggested establishing his own brand of vodka, before the Russian said an Irish whiskey brand would be a smarter idea.

Proper No. Twelve launched in 2018 and made revenues of around £820million in its first year.

McGregor revealed in 2019 that Russian president Vladimir Putin received the first ever bottle of the whiskey at the 2018 World Cup final in Moscow.

The Notorious went to the game with Lobov.