According to Forbes, UFC Lightweight Champion Conor McGregor is the 24th highest paid athlete in the world and made a whopping $34 million in 2016.
McGregor made $27 million from just the UFC alone on the back of his three fights in 2016. He fought in two back-to-back fights against Nate Diaz, losing the first and winning the second. In his most recent fight, The Notorious knocked Eddie Alvarez out last November and claimed the UFC lightweight title.
According to Forbes, McGregor is tied for the 24th highest paid athlete in the world and shares his spot with Real Madrid man and Welsh international, Gareth Bale.
McGregor is currently working on a deal to make his debut in the sport of boxing. He expected to fight all-time boxing great Floyd “Money” Mayweather.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I am going to break his face <a href="https://t.co/sI5jxpVGQN">pic.twitter.com/sI5jxpVGQN</a></p>— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/812610830843965440">December 24, 2016</a></blockquote>
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McGregor has already agreed on a deal to fight Mayweather. UFC President Dana White is still working on a deal with the boxing legend.
If a bout between McGregor and Mayweather does take place, both athletes should be expected to be towards the top of Forbes list next year.
Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James, Lionel Messi, Roger Federer and basketballer Kevin Durant currently make up the Forbes top five.
