The long-running legal battle is officially over.
Former two-division Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champion Conor McGregor and former teammate Artem Lobov have settled their dispute over Proper No. 12 Irish whiskey, avoiding a trial.
On Wednesday (April 15, 2026), Lobovâs attorney confirmed in court that both sides agreed to resolve the case. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Lobov originally filed the lawsuit claiming he was owed five percent of the profits from McGregorâs whiskey brand, Proper No. 12 Irish Whiskey. He alleged the two had a verbal agreement in which he helped launch the business in exchange for a stake.
McGregor has consistently denied that any such agreement existed.
âThe Russian Hammerâ also claimed he was pushed out of the business once it became a major financial success.
McGregor and his partners eventually sold Proper No. 12 to Proximo Spirits in 2021 for a reported $600 million, with the Irish superstar said to have earned more than $100 million from the deal; however, Proximo would later distance itself from the Irish superstar following a civil court ruling in Ireland that found him liable for sexual assault (details here).
Following the settlement, McGregor struck a more measured tone toward his former friend.
âI want to thank him for his hard work for my whiskey business,â McGregor said in a statement read by his attorney.
Lobov, meanwhile, told reporters he was âhappy with the resolutionâ but declined to speak about the settlement.
The agreement brings closure to what was once a close relationship.
McGregor and Lobov were longtime training partners in Ireland, and the two were close friends who stood up for each other on multiple instances. The most infamous example was McGregor flying to Las Vegas after Khabib Nurmagomedov cornered and slapped Lobov, which led to the infamous Brooklyn bus incident.
That bond ultimately fractured once the lawsuit was filed.
Now, with the legal dispute behind him, McGregor is rumored for a potential comeback at UFC 329 during International Fight Week later this summer in Las Vegas.
Conor McGregorâs former BFF Artem Lobov may have gotten several million dollars out of âThe Notoriousâ for helping the Irish sports star launch his extremely lucrative Proper 12 whiskey brand, but it was only after Lobov launched a contentious lawsuit that McGregor paid up.
Now Lobov is sharing some thoughts on why McGregor has been so miserly when it comes to paying the friends who help him.
âHe took care of nobody, he fâked over his coach and all his best friends,â Lobov wrote on X (formerly Twitter). âLee, Derek, Gerry Vegas, Charlie myself and others. Shook hands on different deals that they brought in, money came in but he didnât pay what was promised.â
âHe got Proper fâked on his whiskey deal that I negotiated and his manager Audie stole from him and me. I showed him unmatched loyalty, I donât say that lightly as a 40 year old man. He got 100M for Mayweather what did [head coach] John [Kavanagh] get??? 100K if even, meant to be 5% but he never paid that for any of his fights.â
âHe fired his best mate Derek, father of 3 kids, weeks before Christmas over something Derek said that Conor didnât like,â Lobov continued. âPaid Lee, the founder and director of [TheMacLife.com] 500 euros per week before tax for years, agreed to pay Gerry 10K at the start + 10K at the end of the camp, then wouldnt pay the 2nd 10K. Thatâs just a few examples.â
He Richie rich
Artem Lobov isnât finished with Conor McGregor.
The former friends turned bitter enemies seemed to finally put their beef behind themâat least from a legal standpointâthis past April, when Lobov and McGregor settled a lawsuit dating back to 2022, in which Lobov claimed he was owed a significant portion of the profits from McGregorâs Proper No. 12 Irish Whiskey brand due to allegedly helping to create the idea. The lawsuit was settled earlier this year, with terms not being disclosed.
Long before that situation developed, Lobov and McGregor were known to be close friends and training partners, but they have grown distant and aggressive with each other in recent years. That tension resurfaced Monday, when Lobov wrote a series of statements on social media that included several wild accusations, including that McGregor âsent people to burn my car and threaten my 60-year-old mother with a hammer.â
The tirade began with Lobov replying to a tweet from UFC on TNT Sports, downplaying the significance of McGregorâs next fight being the last on his current UFC contract.
âHe took care of nobody, he f*cked over his coach and all his best friends Lee, Derek, Gerry Vegas, Charlie myself and others,â Lobov wrote. âShook hands on different deals that they brought in, money came in but he didnât pay what was promised. And he got âProper F*ckedâ on his whiskey deal that I negotiated and his manager Audie stole from him and me. I showed him unmatched loyalty, I dont say that lightly as a 40-year-old man.
Mcpodcast , JUNO
All the money the cunt was making and he still tried to shaft his friend. 
very happy to read this. it means nothing if not that a mutual friend has talked them round. there is zero chance this got sorted by email after all this bullshit. they met and hugged it out.
iâm delighted/friends reunited.
hope Artem can sit pretty and Conor can hold his gig together.
Two retarded gypsies throwing hissy fits
this shit ruined mma. Conor was the beginning of the end.