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Conor McGregor breaks into top 25 on Forbes highest paid athletes list

Published Jun. 7, 2017 2:26 p.m. ET

Damon Martin

Conor McGregor is not only the highest paid fighter on the UFC roster, but now he's one of the top 25 richest athletes in the world.

The UFC lightweight champion was the first ever mixed martial arts to crack the top 100 last year when he came in at No. 85 with $18 million in reported earnings.

That number pales in comparison to what McGregor put together over the past year as he competed in a trio of the most lucrative fights in UFC history.

According to Forbes, McGregor earned a reported $34 million over the past year, which including his pair of fights against Nate Diaz as well as his lightweight championship win over Eddie Alvarez this past November.

The report states that McGregor earned $27 million from his fight purses with another $7 million earned in endorsements and sponsorships.

McGregor was also the highest paid combat sports athlete with former cash cow Floyd Mayweather no longer in the running after he retired in 2015. The highest ranked boxer on the list this year was Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, who earned a reported $28.5 million.

McGregor was the only mixed martial artist to make the top 100 list this year.

To put into perspective where McGregor landed on the list, he was ahead of NBA superstars Carmelo Anthony ($32.6 million), Kyrie Irving ($29.9 million) and NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown ($31.9 million).

Following his debut in the top 100 list, McGregor vowed to one day sit at the top where he would be competing with soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, who earned a reported $93 million last year.

McGregor might be able to get a lot closer if he inks the deal to face Mayweather in a boxing match later this year that could potentially net him a nine-figure payday depending on how much money the fight generates on pay-per-view.

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