Artem Lobov isn’t finished with Conor McGregor.
The former friends turned bitter enemies seemed to finally put their beef behind them—at least from a legal standpoint—this 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 McGregor’s 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 “sent people to burn my car and threaten my 60-year-old mother with a hammer.”
The tirade began with Lobov replying to a tweet from UFC on TNT Sports, downplaying the significance of McGregor’s next fight being the last on his current UFC contract.
“Last fight happened many years ago, now it’s about supporting the habit,” Lobov wrote. “In my humble opinion, of course.”
When McGregor fans attacked Lobov over the comment, he didn’t back down, instead replying with a
in which he claims McGregor abused and neglected his friends and teammates and that his behavior was influenced by substance abuse.
“He took care of nobody, he f*cked over his coach and all his best friends Lee, Derek, Gerry Vegas, Charlie myself and others,” Lobov wrote. “Shook hands on different deals that they brought in, money came in but he didn’t pay what was promised. And he got ‘Proper F*cked’ 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.
“He got 100M for Mayweather what did John get??? 100K if even, meant to be 5 percent but he never paid that for any of his fights. He fired his best mate Derek, father of three kids, weeks before Christmas over something Derek said that Conor didn’t like. Paid Lee, the founder and director of [The Mac Life] 500 euros per week before tax for years, agreed to pay Gerry 10K at the start and 10K at the end of the camp, then wouldn’t pay the second 10K. Thats just a few examples.
“We all used to meet up and wonder why he does that to us and the conclusion we came to is that his drink and drug abuse brings out the worst in him and the sober Conor would never mistreat his brothers like that. Conor was my brother, I loved him like one. All the truth and facts will come out. Drink, drugs, and no accountability is what brought all the troubles into his life. All of this allegedly, of course.”
Then, Lobov dropped the bombshell that McGregor allegedly went after his mother and his car rather than confront him directly over their issues. That message was accompanied by a screenshot of a cordial exchange between Lobov and McGregor via direct message.
“I was at SBG every Tuesday and Thursday all these years, didn’t see him anywhere,” Lobov wrote. “He went on X, sent people to burn my car and threaten my 60-year-old mother with a hammer, but never had the balls to call my number directly.
“I am the godfather of always showing up, taught Conor how to be a real fighter. But he calls me out at 4 a.m. haha thats ‘junkie o’clock,‘ I was asleep with my kids. Allegedly, of course.”
Lobov later reflected on his past admiration for McGregor, especially how McGregor supported him in their shared rivalry with Khabib Nurmagomedov. Their bond was so strong, that McGregor once flew to Brooklyn to support Lobov after his now-former-friend had a run-in with Nurmagomedov’s team, culminating in the infamous UFC 223 bus incident.
In Lobov’s eyes, the McGregor he once knew is long gone.
“We were brothers and had each others backs no matter what,” Lobov wrote. “Trouble with Khabib was over me defending [McGregor’s] honor and not allowing Khabib talk bad about my brother. That Conor is no longer here unfortunately. He was a real man with unmatched skillset in the octagon and a heart of a lion, now he is just a lying junkie. In my opinion, of course. I sure miss my old brother.”
