Forbes published their top 100 highest-paid athletes in the world list this week and it included one mixed martial artist, UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor.
The 27-year-old Irishman was listed in the 85th position. “The Notorious” earned $22 million, $18 million in salary and fighter earnings and $4 million from endorsements.
McGregor fought three times in the past year and headlined two of the three biggest pay-per-view events in UFC history. UFC 194, when he knocked out then-champion Jose Aldo generated 1.2 million buys. UFC 196, when he lost to Nate Diaz in a welterweight bout, sold 1.5 million pay-per-views.
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McGregor was the only UFC fighter to make the list. He earned the same amount of income as Boston Rex Sox standout David Ortiz, and more than tennis star Maria Sharapova, boxer Canelo Alvarez, and Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez.
Topping the 2016 highest-paid athletes list was soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who made a reported $88 million.
