Conor McGregor is currently on the path to recovery, eagerly eyeing his return to the UFC octagon. Speculations arise that his comeback might happen at UFC 300 in April, potentially against Michael Chandler.
These rumours stem from their previous coaching stint on the TUF reality show, yet an official date remains elusive.
During McGregor’s hiatus, he found himself entangled in legal disputes with Artem Lobov. Lobov shared a close bond with McGregor during their shared time in the UFC, notably as part of McGregor’s team in TUF 22. In a surprising turn, Lobov won over McGregor’s former rival Paulie Malignaggi in a 2019 BKFC bout.
Unfortunately, their bond has completely crumbled. In November of last year, Artem Lobov filed a lawsuit against Conor McGregor over the latter’s popular Proper No. Twelve product. The former combatant said that his pal had initially intended to make a different drink. But he managed to persuade the former UFC champion to choose the Irish staple instead.
Artem Lobov also claimed that he put a lot of research into the project and wasn’t fairly rewarded for it. Conor McGregor has now criticized him on many occasions in relation to the case. A second defamation complaint was therefore brought, but it was dismissed in January.
The legal dispute over the whiskey firm is still pending. Artem Lobov seems to be trying to gain some ground with the public opinion court as well. He shared a number of Conor McGregor’s private text exchanges on Instagram earlier this week. The Russian was purportedly guaranteed a portion of the company in the texts, but that never happened.
In one text allegedly from McGregor, he assures Lobov of his support. McGregor wrote: “This fight and this whiskey deal, I am going to look after you. You are always there for me brother and I appreciate all of your work.”
Lobov then responded with: “Thank you so much Conor, I won’t take anything for the camp as it’s great for me and my skill also and I am delighted to be there, so please don’t send me money for it, please! The whiskey is going to be huge!!! Audie told me that you are giving me a percentage, thank you very much for that, it’s going to be a massive success!”
McGregor then casually dismisses concerns about compensation by replying: “Don’t worry bout it my brother!”
Notably, the authenticity of Lobov’s released text messages remains unverified. However, their potential impact on McGregor’s legal problems cannot be understated. Despite this, McGregor has yet to publicly acknowledge or address these reportedly leaked exchanges.