UFC star, Conor McGregor ranked as the highest-paid athlete

The Global Media company Forbes has ranked the Former UFC champion, Conor McGregor, as the highest-paid athlete in the world, beating the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lewis Hamilton to claim the number one spot.

According to Forbes, the Irish UFC star made a total of $180 million over the last 12 months. Most of the money came from the recent sale of his majority stake in whiskey brand Proper No. Twelve to Proximo Spirits for $150 million

McGregors also made money from product endorsements after adding DraftKings, the video game Dystopia: Contest of Heroes, and the lifestyle brand Roots of Fight to his portfolio that has included campaigns with Burger King in the past, and a lucrative deal to wear Monster Energy’s logo on his fight shorts.

The MMA fighter is now the third athlete in history to have made more than $70 million outside of their sport, joining Roger Federer and Tiger Woods.

Behind McGregor in second is FC Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi, who made $130 million in 2020, with $97 million coming “on the field,” while his arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo takes the last spot on the podium, as he finished last year with $120 million.