Artem Lobov's legal representative Andrew Walker told the High Court in Dublin that the case had been settled. Lobov was pictured outside court giving a thumbs up and said he was 'happy' with the outcome. The specific financial terms of the settlement between Conor McGregor and Artem Lobov were not disclosed.
McGregor was not present in court for the settlement announcement. Lobov had sued McGregor, alleging that McGregor shook hands with him in 2017 on an agreement to give him five percent of the sale of Proper No Twelve whiskey for his role in the creation of the brand. Lobov described pitching McGregor the Irish whiskey idea, explaining that it was once a dominant force in the market.
In my head I was thinking, what a better man than Conor McGregor to bring Irish whiskey back to its stardom? He did it with fighting.
Lobov claimed he was 'muscled out' of the Proper No Twelve whiskey deal and alleged that the handshake agreement took place in front of three witnesses in a gym. Proper No Twelve whiskey was sold to Proximo Spirits in 2021 for £442 million, and McGregor was understood to have earned around £73 million from the sale. Lobov refused McGregor's offer of just over £700,000 and took him to court in a case that was supposed to start in Dublin on Wednesday.
The settlement came as the court proceedings were set to begin, avoiding a public trial. Mark Lynam read a short statement on McGregor's behalf saying McGregor was satisfied at the resolution and pleased he could now concentrate on 'this summer's fight'. McGregor remains the biggest pay-per-view star in MMA despite having not entered the octagon since his defeat by Dustin Poirier in 2021.
Same old. Yup.
There has been speculation about McGregor fighting on the UFC Freedom 250 card taking place at the White House on June 14. A 4,500-seat arena is being constructed for the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House on June 14. A number of fights have been announced for the UFC Freedom 250 card, though none have the allure of a long-awaited McGregor comeback.
Dana White described the situation as 'same old' when asked on Saturday night if there are any new developments on McGregor coming back. McGregor had previously talked up his chances of fighting on the White House card and posted on X that he wanted '$100 million and 100 golden visas for family and friends'. He appears to be training hard for a possible return, sharing plenty of content of himself in the gym on social media.