Conor McGregor tumbles from top spot on Forbes’ highest-paid athletes list

It’s still good to be Conor McGregor but not quite as good as it was in 2021.

The UFC’s biggest star is no longer the world’s highest-paid athlete, according to Forbes, after taking a tumble on the magazine’s list revealed Wednesday.

Last year, McGregor was No. 1 after taking in an estimated $180 million. This year, McGregor ranks tied for No. 35 – along with French soccer star Kylian Mbappé – with estimated earnings of $43 million between May 1, 2021 and May 1, 2022.

According to Forbes, McGregor made $33 million inside the cage, which would account for only his UFC 264 trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier. McGregor made another $10 million in endorsements and sponsorships. McGregor topping the 2021 list was, in large part, due to him selling a majority share in his whiskey brand Proper No. Twelve.

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Not surprisingly, McGregor is the only mixed martial artist to crack Forbes’ top 50. He’s one of four combat sports athletes to make the list, with boxers Canelo Alvarez (No. 8, $90 million), Tyson Fury (No. 18, $62 million) and Jake Paul (No. 46, $38 million) the other three.

This year’s Forbes list is topped by soccer icon Lionel Messi ($130 million), NBA star LeBron James ($121.2 million) and soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo ($115 million).

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