PROPER PICKLE
Conor McGregor faces possible €20m loss as he’s forced to reveal windfall from $600m whiskey brand sale in court
The UFC star is facing legal proceedings that could cost him up to €20 million
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McGregor denies any wrongdoing and has vowed to defend his good name.
Two cases are being brought by his former close friend and sparring partner, the retired MMA fighter Artem Lobov.
He and The Notorious trained together and travelled the world for years.
Lobov, who has a masters degree in business, claims he came up with the entire idea for McGregor's whiskey brand and initially helped set it up in the early years.
He also claims McGregor promised him a five per cent stake.
The fighter and his two partners, his manager Audie Attar and American businessman, Ken Austin, sold their majority stake in the Proper No Twelve business to US firm Proximo Sport for $600 million in 2021.
However Lobov says he never received a penny.
McGregor, 35, admitted in his defence that he offered Lubov one million dollars, which his old friend turned down.
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Lobov is currently suing for his five per cent.
McGregor has until tomorrow evening to comply with a High Court order to disclose how much exactly he personally benefited from the deal.
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A figure of €130 million has previously been mentioned in public.
Proper No Twelve is now the second fastest growing Irish whiskey in America behind Jameson and has become a billion dollar business.
McGregor is believed to still be financially involved in the whiskey and continues to be its marketing face.
Lobov has also taken a second case for defamation against McGregor after his former friend branded him a “rat” on his Twitter account, which has an audience of almost 10 million people.
That case is also going through the Dublin High Court at the moment.
Comeback fight
The fighter is due back in the UFC ring in Las Vegas in June when he takes on Michael Chandler in UFC 303.
The fight has already broken UFC box office records with over 20 million gate tickets sold.
The Notorious has been preparing for his eagerly-anticipated return at SBG Ireland in Dublin.
But his training regime hasn't included his traditional road work on his bike, which he relied heavily on in preparation for his 2016 rematch with Nate Diaz.
That's because the Irishman is still hesitant about cycling on the road after being knocked off by a motorist who was dazzled by the sun last January.
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He revealed his worries on his Instagram story, which included a video of the aftermath of the incident, writing: “Still haven’t gone back out on my bike after this.”
McGregor experienced a marked increase in cardiovascular endurance after implementing bike work into his training regime for his second showdown with Diaz.
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