Despite Brutal Loss that Ruined His Leg, $200 Million Worth Conor McGregor Earned Double of What Rafael Nadal Can Make Even After Winning the US Open

Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal, after winning his 22nd Grand Slam title at the French Open earlier this year, cemented his place in the pantheon of legends. After winning at Roland Garros, he earned a lot of money and could potentially earn even more if he wins the US Open this year.

Despite a lot of money, he doesn’t even come close to UFC legend Conor McGregor, in terms of pay-per-view earning. Notably, the Irish MMA (mixed martial arts) fighter has been on the sideline after losing to Dustin Poirier at the UFC 264 event due to a freak leg injury. Despite losing, he bagged more money than the winner of that fight.

Rafael Nadal is far behind Conor McGregor in terms of his earnings

In the UFC 257 event, McGregor and Poirier faced for the second time in their career; McGregor won their first bout. So everyone wondered if Poirier could knock McGregor out of his perch, which he did. Even though the Irishman lost the bout, he earned around $5 million from the fight alone.

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However, according to Forbes, he earned an additional $20 million from the UFC 257 event. In 2021, Forbes declared McGregor as the highest-earning athlete, as he earned around $180 million.

In July 2022, McGregor and Poirier faced off for the third time in the UFC 264. After suffering a freak leg accident in the third round, McGregor could not continue the fight, as the referee declared Poirier the winner. Despite losing once again, he bagged $5 million just for showing up for the fight and an additional $11,000 as a fight incentive. In contrast, Poirier won only $1 million and an additional $21,000 as a fight incentive.

Since then, McGregor has been inactive in the UFC or MMA. Despite not playing for over a year now, he still featured in the 35th position on the Forbes highest-paid athlete’s list. Whereas, Rafael Nadal doesn’t even feature in the top 50. If we compare Nadal with McGregor, the Spaniard had a pretty successful year in 2022, winning two Grand Slam titles.

After winning the Australian Open, he earned around $1.9 million in prize money. Then, he won the French Open as well, which fetched him around $2.19 million. After a recent announcement by the US Open, they have declared that the winner of the singles competition will get around $2.6 million, which is huge compared to the other Grand Slam events. Even if Nadal wins the US Open, he will fall behind McGregor, in terms of earnings.

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However, Nadal is slightly ahead of the Irishman when it comes to Net Worth. According to reports, McGregor has an estimated net worth of $200 million. Whereas, Nadal’s net worth is $220 million. Currently, Nadal is playing at the US Open, and he has a very good chance of winning his 23rd major.