22-04-2025
Conor McGregor to face former sparring partner in court next month over whiskey brand deal
Controversial UFC fighter Conor McGregor is facing another High Court showdown within weeks over his Proper No Twelve Irish whiskey brand.
MoGregor is due to appear in court on May 22 in a commercial row with one of his former friends and long-time sparring partner Artem Lobov. McGregor is being sued by the Russian native who claims he was promised a 5% stake in the business and that he worked for a couple of years for nothing to help set it up.
McGregor and his US investor partners subsequently sold the business for more than $600m to Proximo Spirits in 2021. The fighter himself is believed to have walked away with $150m and Proximo says he no longer has shares in the company.
He later offered Lobov €1m in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, which was refused.
It is understood that all documents in relation to the case have been given to both sides. The case is listed to be heard between May 20-22 next.
McGregor recently lost a civil case taken by Nikita Hand, who claimed he raped her in the penthouse of a Dublin hotel after a night out. McGregor denied the allegation but the jury ruled against him. He is now appealing the verdict. The jury awarded Ms Hand damages of €250,000.
The ruling damaged McGregor's business interests, with a large number of brands disassociating themselves from him in the aftermath. This included his Number Twelve whiskey and he is no longer doing any publicity launches for the label.
He had acted as a brand ambassador across America for the whiskey which has grown in a short period of time to number two in the market.
Proximo Spirits said in a statement after the case last November: "Going forward we do not plan to use Mr McGregor's name and likeness in the marketing of the brand."
In an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carson last week, McGregor repeated his desire to run for the Aras later this year, but acknowledged his presidential bid may not get off the ground as he would need the endorsement of four local authorities, or 20 members of the Oireachtas.
A legal source said: " It seems all roads for Conor are leading to the High Court again and now he will be watching his business dealings in public. We might actually find out how much money Conor is worth."
Read More
Conor McGregor must provide certain information about price of whiskey deal, court rules
