Conor McGregor named highest-paid athlete of 2021 according to Forbes, made $22 million for Dustin Poirier rematch at UFC 257

Conor McGregor has been named as the highest-paid athlete in 2021, and he made $22 million for the Dustin Poirier rematch at UFC 257.

Forbes reported that in the last 12 months, McGregor has made $180 million total, which makes him the highest-paid athlete in the world. According to the report, McGregor made $150 million when he sold Proper No. Twelve to Proximo Spirits. In addition to that $150 million, McGregor also made $22 million for his rematch against Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 earlier this year, a fight that he lost by knockout. The remaining $8 million that McGregor made came from a combination of his endorsements including Draft Kings, Roots of Fight, and Dystopia: Contest of Heroes. It’s fair to say it’s been a good 12 months for McGregor.

Conor McGregor is named the Forbes number 1 highest paid athlete for 2021. https://t.co/IJxkfSUhHH pic.twitter.com/fS4yXD3hub

— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) May 12, 2021

It is very impressive to see McGregor at the top of this list. The other athletes in the top-10 include soccer star Lionel Messi ($130m), fellow soccer superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo ($120m), Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott ($107.5m), NBA star Lebron James ($96.5m), soccer star Neymar ($95m), tennis champion Roger Federer ($90m), racecar driver Lewis Hamilton ($82m), Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady ($76m), and NBA star Kevin Durant ($75m). The fact McGregor is above all of those athletes is remarkable when you consider MMA fighters are not in the same pay stratosphere as they are.

Having said that, McGregor is clearly the highest-paid MMA fighter on the planet and most of the money that led to him jumping to No. 1 on the list was from the sale of Proper No. Twelve. Still, he’s the top earner in the world right now among all the athletes out there, which is beyond impressive, and he figures to take home another big payday when he fights Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 this summer in their trilogy bout.

What do you think about Conor McGregor being the highest-paid athlete in 2021?