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A former teammate and buddy of Conor McGregor is suing him for millions, claiming he helped create McGregor’s Proper No. Twelve Whiskey Company. Artem Lobov, a UFC veteran, filed a complaint in Ireland’s High Court in 2022, claiming that he was one of the company’s founders and did not earn a fair share of the revenue generated by the successful whiskey brand. However, McGregor won the case, and Lobov was ordered to pay damages.

The Russian is now intending to sue the former UFC double champion for $8 million. Lobov feels he should be awarded a 5% interest in the business. This is the same percentage he sought in his previous lawsuit after McGregor made a massive $600 million profit by selling Proper No. 12 to Jose Cuervo’s parent company. The two were very close friends in the past. McGregor and Lobov trained together for years at SBG Ireland, and McGregor was Lobov’s trainer at The Ultimate Fighter, helping Lobov get a contract with the Dana White-led promotion.

In fact, McGregor was arrested and fined after he attacked Khabib Nurmagomedov’s bus for slapping Artem Lobov – something that made McGregor vs. Nurmagomedov the biggest fight in the UFC. But while McGregor once offered the Russian-Irishman $1 million for the ideation of Proper No. Twelve according to Lobov, the TUF 22 alum turned it down. However, now, he wishes to get his fair share for the million-dollar idea.

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The Russian living in Dublin claims that Conor McGregor sought him for guidance years ago about launching a vodka brand in Iceland alongside Game of Thrones actor Hafthor Julius Bjornsson. Lobov then delivered his speech on Irish whiskey, which he gave a presentation on at Dublin City University where the Russian-Irish fighter once studied. Following this, McGregor felt inspired enough to ask his friend to make a deal, which Lobov eventually did but never became a partner on paper.

With this latest lawsuit, he is taking McGregor to court to get what he claims was his idea. However, it won’t be an easy task considering that he already lost the case in the past. As for the fan support, it seems like a majority of people are rallying against him and are in support of ‘The Notorious’ UFC fighter. So what are they saying? Let’s find out.

Fans rally in support of Conor McGregor

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Did Artem Lobov's friendship with McGregor cost him millions, or is he just chasing money now?

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As soon as the news of Artem Lobov suing Conor McGregor for the second time came to light, fans were quick to share their opinions on it. And while many expected fans to be in support of the Russian, considering McGregor’s ‘Notorious’ reputation, it seems like there’s more love for the former UFC double champion instead.

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One user claimed that McGregor, who once fought Khabib Nurmagomedov for Artem, should now team up with the Dagestani, instead, to take Artem out. “Conor went to war against Khabib for Artem, just for Artem to do this 😂 This is why Conor and Khabib should finally make peace with each other and hunt down Artem in his sleep.” Another user shared that fans weren’t even aware of Lobov before McGregor introduced him in the UFC. “Artem wouldn’t have even been known or in the UFC without Conor.”

Many fans of ‘The Notorious’ felt that Artem should’ve had a contract made in the past if he wanted a partnership based on the ideation process. Considering that he did not even invest in the business, it seemed to fans that the Russian was just chasing money. They wrote comments like, “How does he deserve the stake for the idea [if] he put no money up front or anything? If I tell someone to invest in something, I don’t get a share of whatever they make.”

Another user felt the same, as they shared it in their X post, “How can he owe 8% when he wasn’t on payroll or on the paperwork? Conor invested money into [the business and] Artem nothing.” Unless a contract has been made, verbal agreements are not accepted in court. Seeing that Lobov has no paperwork to back his claim, chances are that his case will be dismissed in a jiffy. “Verbal agreements if there was one, mean nothing in court.”

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However, not everyone was against Lobov. Some users believed that the Russian should be compensated fairly for his idea of the business. If it weren’t for him, maybe the company never would’ve begun in the first place. They wrote, “I mean the whole whisky thing was Artem’s idea with his business background; he probably played a big part.” Another user shared a similar sentiment, as they wrote, “None of that really matters . We also won’t know who’s right or wrong here until the facts are presented. If Artem actually started it with Conor, he is owed something.”

With this development, it surely looks like there’s more major trouble brewing for McGregor. But what do you think? Will ‘The Notorious’ win the case again, amid his other legal troubles? Let us know in the comments.

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Did Artem Lobov's friendship with McGregor cost him millions, or is he just chasing money now?