Conor McGregor Fails to Make a Dent as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi Dominate a ‘Soccer Heavy’ Forbes List of Highest-Paid Athletes in 2023

Conor McGregor is undeniably the richest MMA fighter out there. Thanks to his lucrative and successful UFC career and his business ventures, McGregor lives a life of luxury and was even named the highest-paid athlete by Forbes in 2021. However, once he got out of the cage thanks to his injury, it looks like his earning took a dip.

Forbes recently released their highest-paid athlete list for 2023. And even though he’s rather fortunate, McGregor didn’t quite make the list this time. But do you know who did? The same soccer player ‘The Notorious’ was comparing watches with earlier last month, Cristiano Ronaldo, and many others. Here’s more.

Conor McGregor drops out of Forbes list 2023

Conor McGregor has been out of action for a while. Is that he reason he wasn’t able to make the Forbes highest paid-athlete list? The list was heavily dominated by soccer players as well as multiple NBA stars. And if a star of McGregor’s stature couldn’t make it, it’s safe to say that no other MMA fighter was coming close.

However, boxer Canelo Álvarez certainly made the list.at the number 5 spot. Above him were soccer and NBA legends such as Cristiano Ronaldo who was at number 1 closely followed by his counterpart, Lionel Messi, who stood in second place.

At #3 and #4 were the French phenom Kylian Mbappé and basketball icon, LeBron James. James was the first active athlete to be certified a billionaire by Forbes in June 2023 – a man making both money and legacy.

The same could be said for Conor McGregor who has a professional history heavily laden by his belts. The two-divisional champion is now all set to make a comeback. His next fight, is supposedly meant to go down on June 29th. That’s when he’s promised to fight Michael Chandler.

McGregor and Chandler – a long story with many twists

The latest twist in McGregor and Chandler’s storyline was introduced by the Irishman’s announcement on New Year’s eve. He announced that he would be taking on Chandler at middleweight. The two will go up to 185 pounds to fight potentially at UFC 302 in June during the International Fight Week.

Watch This Story: Conor McGregor Gives a Fired-Up Speech During TUF 31

Clearly an interesting route for the two, but for McGregor, it makes a lot of sense. If he wins the fight, he could move on further in the middleweight division, and perhaps, thanks to his iconic stature, he gets a chance at eventually fighting the champion.

Or, this could all just be a ruse and they will fight at 170 lbs or 155 lbs where both stars are familiar. Granted, McGregor could be aiming for a higher weight class to avoid the strain of a weight cut, considering his injury from almost three years ago.

Will he come up the better fighter of the pair? We’ll have to wait a few months to find out.

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