Mystic Mac strikes again. Conor McGregor has followed up on his 2016 prediction by being named the highest-paid athlete on the planet.
Despite only stepping into the Octagon once last year - a comprehensive win over Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone - the 32-year-old is now at the summit of Forbes' prestigious list, surpassing the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and LeBron James.
McGregor reportedly pocketed a massive $180 million in 2020, with the majority of his earnings came from his multi-million-dollar business ventures away from the fight game, although he still made an impressive $22 million for his bout in January.
In fact, McGregor's popular Proper No.12 whiskey company made him a reported $158 million.
The Irishman, who will no doubt rank high in Forbes' 2021 list after he recently sold his majority stake in the whisky business to well-known tequila company Jose Cuervo for around $600million, has come a long way since mid-2016.
As he was preparing for his rematch with Nate Diaz after a shock defeat at UFC 196, five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo visited McGregor's lavish training base in Las Vegas, where a very big promise was made.
You can see the conversation between the pair below via The Mac Life's official Twitter page.
In the clip, McGregor can be heard saying: "You were number one on the Forbes list, I was like number 35 or something. I'll get up. Maybe next year I'll get you..." before Ronaldo quickly hits back: "I don't think so."
The Portugal international backed up his comments by raking in $88 million that year.
Ronaldo later claimed the top spot in 2017 when he beat the likes of Lionel Messi and LeBron James by taking home $93 million, but things have changed in recent times, with McGregor flying high in the earning stakes.
In terms of the 2020 Forbes list, Barcelona forward Lionel Messi came in second place after earning $130 million last year, while fellow footballer Ronaldo followed after making a hefty $120 million.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott placed in fourth with $108million thanks to his mega-money NFL deal, and NBA legend LeBron James came in fifth after taking home $97million.
The likes of Neymar, Roger Federer and Lewis Hamilton also featured in the top 10 but Mystic Mac came out on top after another fruitful year.
Topics: Conor Mcgregor, Football, UFC, Cristiano Ronaldo
