Conor McGregor celebrates being recognized ‘as an entrepreneur’ by Forbes

We already knew Conor McGregor was one of the few MMA fighters on the planet who can claim he’s rich – not just “make a lot of money,” but actually rich. And this week, that was recognized in a big way as Forbes listed the former UFC dual champion No. 1 on its list of the world’s highest-paid athletes.

In the past 12 months, between May 1, 2020, and May 1, 2021, McGregor has earned a whopping $180 million, one of just four athletes – along with Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Dak Prescott – to rake in more than $100 million in that timespan.

Impressive, to say the least. And on Thursday, McGregor relished the recognition in an Instagram post.

You’ll notice something that stands out about McGregor’s message there: “Thank you Forbes for recognizing my role as an entrepreneur!” I bolded that last part because McGregor certainly didn’t earn all that money from the UFC – not even close. Of his $180 million, just $22 million came directly from competing inside the octagon, according to Forbes. The other $158 million came outside of fighting, with $150 million of it from the recent sale of his majority stake in his Proper Twelve whiskey brand.

You can become very rich as a UFC fighter. You just need some luck and a willingness to hustle outside of the cage to do it.

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