Conor McGregor buys the Proper 12 chain and builds a Christmas tree out of bottles after it emerges he is being sued by Artem Lobov who claims the Irish Whiskey brand was his idea

Conor McGregor bought a Proper 12 chain after being sued by an old friend who claims he owes millions from the sale of the Irish Whiskey brand.

In the early hours of Monday morning, “Notorious” uploaded several photos and a video to social media that show him happily wearing his new chain around his neck, which pays homage to his iconic whiskey brand.

After flexing with her new piece of jewelry, McGregor got celebratory as she posed next to a huge pile of Proper 12 bottles, impossibly shaped like a pre-holiday Christmas tree.

The 34-year-old’s Proper 12 party at his Dublin pub comes just days after it was revealed he was being chased by a former teammate who claims the brand of Irish whiskey was his idea.

Artem Lobov, a retired fighter who trained alongside McGregor, says he was central to the creation of Proper 12 before he was kicked out of the company when it took off and brought in a lot money to the Irish.

In April 2021, McGregor and two other investors sold their shares in Proper 12 for $600 million. [£503million] and the former two-weight UFC champion became the sport’s richest man as a result.

Earlier this week, Lobov sued in the High Court and claims there was a deal that entitled him to 5% of the $180 million. [£151million] McGregor is selling.

Back in August, ‘The Russian Hammer’, who holds a master’s degree from Dublin City University in finance and capital markets, revealed his role in Proper 12 during an exclusive interview with talkSPORT.

“A few people know that, but it was actually my idea. It was me who came up with the idea to make a whiskey for Conor,” Lobov said.

“Once the deal was ready, I went to Conor and said, ‘Conor, I’ve got the deal ready for you. This is going to be a billion dollar deal, no mess. I don’t know if he took me seriously or not at the time with the billion dollars.

“We kept working on it and as you can see it was a huge success. I’m really happy to see that and I’m really happy to be a part of it.

McGregor responded to his former friend’s lawsuit by singing a song about Lobev on social media, he chanted, “Artem is a rat, na na na na!” Hey! Na na, na na! Hey! Artem is a rat, na na na na. Hey! Rat.”

Away from the commercial drama, the biggest star in MMA history is currently gearing up for his highly anticipated return to the UFC after being sidelined through injury since July 2021.