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.

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A post shared by Conor McGregor Official (@thenotoriousmma)

Baby we did it!! Uimhir a Haon
Thank you Forbes for recognizing my role as an entrepreneur!
It was a dream to lead this list with so many successful athletes!
Onwards and upwards we go

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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