Though he won't be participating in this weekend's UFC lightweight championship fight, Conor McGregor is now number one in another type of competition, garnering the top spot on Forbes' list of the world's highest paid athletes. According to Forbes, McGregor earned $180 million between May 1, 2020 and May 1, 2021 landing him ahead of athletes like soccer stars Lionel Messi ($130 million), Cristiano Ronaldo ($120 million) and NFL quarterback Dak Prescott ($107.5 million).

The vast majority of McGregor's income came from the sale of his whiskey company, Proper No. Twelve, for $150 million. Along with various endorsement deals which brought his out of competition total income to $158 million, it made McGregor one of only four athletes in history to have earned more than $70 million off the field while still actively competing. McGregor also raked in $22 million for his sole fight of the past year, a knockout loss to Dustin Poirier in January.