McGregor tops Forbes' 2021 list of highest-paid athletes
Conor McGregor has topped Forbes' 2021 list of the world's highest-paid athletes.
The UFC star earned $180 million over the last 12 months. Most of his earnings came from his $150-million sale of the majority stake in his whisky brand, Proper No. 12, to Proximo Spirits.
McGregor is only the third athlete ever, after Roger Federer and Tiger Woods, to earn more than $70 million away from their sport in a single year while actively competing, per Forbes.
"The Notorious" also earned an estimated $22 million after suffering a second-round TKO loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 257. The two rivals are set for a trilogy bout July 10 in Las Vegas.
McGregor joined Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Dak Prescott among athletes to break the $100-million mark this past year. The 32-year-old previously landed at No. 4 on Forbes' 2018 list after earning $99 million.
Here's the rest of the top 10:
| Spot | Athlete | Earnings |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conor McGregor | $180M |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | $130M |
| 3 | Cristiano Ronaldo | $120M |
| 4 | Dak Prescott | $107.5M |
| 5 | LeBron James | $96.5M |
| 6 | Neymar | $95M |
| 7 | Roger Federer | $90M |
| 8 | Lewis Hamilton | $82M |
| 9 | Tom Brady | $76M |
| 10 | Kevin Durant | $75M |