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Conor McGregor No. 1 on Forbes' highest-paid athletes list for first time

It’s good to be Conor McGregor.

According to Forbes, McGregor has earned more money than any other athlete in the past year.

McGregor, who competed only once in the past 12 months in a loss to Dustin Poirier, raked in $180 million in that timeframe, joining Roger Federer and Tiger Woods as the only athletes to earn more than $70 million out of competition in a single year while still active. In McGregor’s case, that’s thanks to the recent sale of his majority stake in his Proper Twelve whiskey brand for $150 million.

Undoubtedly the biggest star in UFC history, McGregor achieved the feat he’s been longing for as he made $158 million outside of the octagon.

McGregor, who earned the No. 4 spot Forbes’ list in 2018 when he boxed Floyd Mayweather, has surpassed the likes of global soccer stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo with his earnings this past year.

Check below to find out the complete top 10 highest-paid athletes in the world in the past year, courtesy of Forbes.

1
Conor McGregor, MMA: $180 million

Conor McGregor. (Jeff Bottari, Zuffa LLC)

In the cage: $22 million
Out of the cage: $158 million

2
Lionel Messi, soccer: $130 million

Lionel Messi. (Joan Monfort, Associated Press)

On the field: $97 million
Off the field: $33 million

3
Cristiano Ronaldo, soccer: $120 million

Cristiano Ronaldo. (Valerio Pennicino, Getty Images)

On the field: $70 million
Off the field: $50 million

4
Dak Prescott, football: $107,5 million

Dak Prescott. (Joe Nicholson, USA TODAY Sports)

On the field: $97.5 million
Off the field: $10 million

5
Lebron James, basketball: $96.5 million

LeBron James. (Kyle Terada, USA TODAY Sports)

On the court: $31.5 million
Off the court: $65 million

6
Neymar, soccer: $95 million

Neymar. (David Vincent, Associated Press)

On the field: $76 million
Off the field: $19 million

7
Roger Fedrer, tennis: $90 million

Roger Federer. (Danielle Parhizkaran, USA TODAY Sports)

On the court: $0.03 million
Off the court: $90 million

8
Lewis Hamilton, Formula 1: $82 million

Lewis Hamilton. (Xavier Bonilla, Pool/Getty Images)

On the track: $70 million
Off the track: $12 million

9
Tom Brady, football: $76 million

Tom Brady. (Matthew Emmons, USA TODAY Sports)

On the field: $45 million
Off the field: $31 million

10
Kevin Durant, basketball: $75 million

Kevin Durant. (Troy Babbitt, USA TODAY Sports)

On the court: $31 million
Off the court: $44 million

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