McGregor tops Forbes' Athletes Rich List for the 1ST time ever edging out Messi

Conor McGregor has been crowned as sport's highest-paid athlete for the first time ever by Forbes ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, and he has his ventures outside of the Octagon to thank.

McGregor made a gigantic £127million over the last 12 months which have been plagued by the Covid pandemic, including £112m outside the Octagon thanks mainly to him selling out the remaining stake in his Proper 12 whiskey company.

The Irish UFC star pipped six-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi to top spot with the Barcelona star having raked in £92m over the last year.

Messi's great football rival Ronaldo, currently playing for Juventus, comes in at third on the list having earned £85m.

McGregor, as well as selling his whiskey company, also came up trumps thanks to his endorsements, adding DraftKings, video game Dystopia: Contest of Heroes, and the lifestyle brand Roots of Fight to his growing portfolio.

It represents only the third time ever that an athlete has raked in more than £49.5m from outside the sport while competing, following in the footsteps of Tiger Woods and Roger Federer.

NFL quarterback Dak Prescott (£76m) and NBA great LeBron James (£68m) make up the rest of the top five on Forbes' Rich List.

Neymar earned £67m and comes in at No 6, while Roger Federer - who topped the list last year - is one further back in seventh after making £64m.

Meanwhile, seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton stands at eighth after making £58m over the past 12 months.

The top 10 on Forbes' Rich List concludes with NFL icon Tom Brady, who added a seventh Super Bowl to his list of achievements, coming in at No 9 with £54m and NBA star Kevin Durant bringing in £53m.