Conor McGregor joins exclusive club after being named world’s richest athlete
Conor McGregor has joined an exclusive club with tennis legend Roger Federer and golf icon Tiger Woods after being named the world's richest athlete.
The UFC star only fought one time in the last year – but he managed to make history with his earnings outside the octagon, which eclipsed £112million.
Only two other athletes have ever gone over $70m for their income outside of their given sport; Federer and Woods.
The majority of McGregor's income came from his gigantic £106m sale of whiskey brand Proper 12 to Proximo Spirits, and he also picked up £15.5m from his sporting endeavours.
The Irishman will be returning to the cage for a trilogy with Dustin Poirier in Las Vegas on July 10, which is expected to earn him another eight-figure payday.
McGregor has also upped his game in terms of product endorsements, adding DraftKings, the video game Dystopia: Contest of Heroes, sports recovery brand TIDL and the lifestyle brand Roots of Fight to his portfolio.
He has previously worked with Reebok and Burger King, and he currently participates in the UFC's gear sponsorship with Venum, which includes a lucrative deal to wear Monster Energy's logo on his fights shorts.
The top 10 features three other athletes who cracked $100m since the onset of the pandemic, which has hampered a lot of sporting activity and cut brand sponsorship budgets.
Football superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo join McGregor in the hundred club, as does NFL quarterback Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys.
The list is rounded out by NBA star LeBron James, PSG footballer Neymar, tennis legend Roger Federer, F1 star Sir Lewis Hamilton, Super Bowl-winning Tom Brady and Brooklyn Nets' Kevin Durant.
32-year-old McGregor told fans on Sunday night that he was aiming to reach the number one spot during a Q&A, and has discussed the possibility of buying his childhood football teams Celtic and Manchester United.
He is sure to have a keen eye on this weekend's UFC 262 pay-per-view, where the Lightweight title he once held is being competed for by Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveira.
Should he beat Poirier, who is the number one contender in the division, McGregor is likely to earn a title shot against the winner of this Saturday's fight.
Michael Chandler has admitted that he would like the former champion to reach his peak again, so that they could fight later this year should he get through Charles Oliveira.
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