CONOR MCGREGOR'S friend and teammate has spoken out about his role in getting Proper No 12 whiskey on the ground. He then turned down $1m (PS820k), from his friend to thank him for his efforts.
In April 2021, The Notorious purchased a controlling share of the brand's wildly successful business for $600million (PS490m).
Conor McGregor made a fortune with his Irish whiskey business
The Notorious built a brand that generated PS820m in revenue over a single year
McGregor beat Nate Diaz in 2016 and was at the top of the world, when Game of Thrones strongman Hafthor Bor Bjornsson approached him with a business proposal.
Artem Lobov, the close friend of the Irishman, claims that the whiskey company was actually his idea.
TalkSPORT's retired 35-year old spoke out saying that the Proper 12 Whiskey story would be the book's selling point.
"A few people may not know that this was my idea. Conor was my inspiration to make whiskey.
Lobov explained that he had spoken to Conor after the second Diaz fight. He said to me, "Artem Thor" - 'The Mountain' from Game of Thrones. I was talking to him and he offered to make my vodka.
He said that he was going to Iceland, and now he is offering me the opportunity to go. It seems like a good deal. What do you think?
Lobov, who previously had a master's in finance, took the idea one step further.
He said: "Well Conor, I'll tell ya one thing. Vodka is the most popular spirit, and it's something that we should definitely look into.
"First, why would you drink Vodka Iceland? Iceland is beautiful. It's a beautiful country, and I've been there before. But they're not well-known for their vodka.
"On top, it's very expensive so the cost to make it in that country will be high. Why would you pay more for a lesser quality product? You can get a better deal in Russia.
"I told him, before you look any further, that I know a lot about Irish whiskey. I also shared my college presentation. I spoke to him about Irish whiskey's dominance and all that.
He said, "You go on and see what deal can you put together" and I continued my journey.
Lobov was then in a position to make an interesting proposition by utilizing his contacts.
He said, "Lucky for you, when I was in college, I used work at Radisson Hotel's bar and had a friend who also worked there."
"We were two 18-year old kids. I left to do my own thing, but Ivan continued working in hospitality and eventually became the general manager of a hotel.
"He connected me with Niall, a man from Classic Drinks, which is a leading drink distribution company in Ireland.
"Niall was very kind to meet me at Radisson and was generous with his knowledge.
"I was able to get that information and I met many different whiskey distilleries. I phoned them and met with them in person. I did my research, and I put together a wonderful deal.
"Once the deal had been completed, I went to Conor to tell him that I had the deal. This deal is going to be a multi-billion dollar deal. There's no room for error.
"I don't know if he thought I was serious or not at that time with the billion-dollar offer.
"I introduced Audie [Attar] to my deal, along with all the people I was working with, and we got started.
"We worked on it for a while and it was a huge success, as you can see. It's amazing to see and it's a great honor to be part of it.
Proper No 12 had revenues of approximately $1bn (PS820m), in its first year... however Lobov was not interested in accepting money from his friend.
He said, "Conor offered me $1m, but I declined it. I refused it."
"You know, Conor offered me money for helping him with his camps throughout my career, but I refused.
"I said that we've been friends for years and have always helped one another. "I never paid you for your camps, so I won't accept any money from you for mine."
Artem Lobov refused to accept money from a friend
