By Will Castle

Copyright independent

Once a staple of McGregor’s training camp, Lobov’s relationship with the Irishman fell apart over a handshake agreement that McGregor allegedly broke regarding his whiskey brand Proper No. Twelve.

Lobov claims McGregor promised to give him a five per cent cut of the profits when the brand was sold, which he says never came to fruition and is thus suing McGregor for a reported $6.5m in Ireland’s High Court. McGregor’s representatives reject the suggestion that Lobov has a valid claim to a stake in Proper No. Twelve, branding it as “incorrect”.

Lobov, 39, is now preparing for his first MMA outing in seven years, reigniting a rivalry with Khabib Nurmagomedov ally Zubaira Tukhugov in the PFL, but has had the cloud of the case hanging over him throughout his camp.

While his bond with McGregor lies in tatters, Lobov believes there is still scope for reconciliation if “The Notorious” returns to his old self.

“I honestly think there is [a way to reconcile with McGregor], for sure,” Lobov told The Independent. “He needs to just knock all the f****** bulls*** that he’s doing now on the head. He needs to return to being the old Conor, and then the old Conor for sure will value a friend like me because I’ve shown him unmatched loyalty throughout the years.”

Lobov notes that he always refused to take a fee when training with McGregor, a gesture that was sullied when the former UFC two-division champion allegedly went back on his word.

He said: “Every camp that I’ve ever done with him, everyone always got paid and money was also put in front of me – rightfully so because that was f****** hard work being away on those camps – but I was the only one that ever said: ‘No, Conor, you’re my brother, I can’t take money from you for training.’

“If I help you build a business, of course I will take my percentage. That’s the way those things work, you know? That Conor valued my loyalty, he said it to me himself.

“This is the kind of work I did for Conor and he just s*** on me.”

The Irish-Russian fighter continued to blast the more recent incarnation of McGregor’s character, one which has been blighted by various other legal issues. In November, a civil-court jury found that the 37-year-old was liable for sexual assault in 2018. McGregor continues to deny the allegations against him but lost an appeal against the verdict in July.

Lobov doesn’t recognise the man who allegedly pulled the rug on him, pinning the perceived betrayal to “the new Conor” while reiterating that there is a way back for the “brother” he once knew.

“This new Conor did this,” he added. “Old Conor would’ve never done this.

“I’m only realising this now, because I held the grudge. I was like: ‘What the f***, motherf*****? You f***** me over like this.’ I did everything for you. I showed you unmatched loyalty and you f***** me.

“But the more I saw him out there in these interviews, I’m like: ‘Hold up a second, this guy is not Conor.’ This is the drink talking or whatever else. This isn’t Conor. That’s what I’ve come to realise.

“I’m here calling for the return of the Mac, the return of the real Conor McGregor. Stop the drinking, get serious. Will the real Conor McGregor please stand up and kick whoever this lad is back to wherever he came from?

“That Conor, for sure, the first thing he’ll say is: ‘Where are my loyal friends? Where is Art?’ That’s what I hope for, that he knocks everything on the head, gets the head down, starts training, and then everything is possible.”

McGregor’s recent exploits notably include a brief run in Irish politics as he launched a bid to become the nation’s president. That was until he pulled out of the presidential race earlier this month, claiming Ireland’s “outdated constitution” and eligibility rules act as a “straitjacket”.

Lobov, an Irish citizen, believes his withdrawal was the right decision but asserts that the McGregor of old would make a worthy candidate for the country’s presidency.

“He wasn’t in the right mindset to do that,” he said. “He would’ve made a s*** president right now. But the old Conor, yes. That guy is presidential for sure.”