Conor McGregor was the highest-paid athlete in the world in last year's Forbes list, but his inactivity has dropped him down to No.35 in this year's rankings.
McGregor has been ruled out of action for almost a year after breaking his tibia against Dustin Poirier in their trilogy fight last July. His time away from the cage restricted the amount of money he made in the past year, but he was still one of the highest-paid fighters despite only competing once.
This year's Forbes list calculates athletes' income on and off the field from May 1 of last year to the same date of this year. McGregor earned £26.5million for his fight with Poirier at UFC 264, with the event being a huge success on pay-per-view as it was bought 1.8million times.
He also earned £8million away from the cage, likely because of his investments in TIDL Sport spray and his Proper 12 whiskey brand. McGregor sold his majority stake in the whiskey last year to Proximo Spirits for a massive £120million.
What are your thoughts on this year's Forbes highest-paid athletes list? Let us know in the comments section below
McGregor will hope to jump back up in the rankings in the next edition of the list as he prepares to make his UFC comeback later this year. The Irishman is looking to break another record as he's challenged Kamaru Usman in the hopes of becoming the first-ever three-weight champion in the promotion.
Meanwhile, WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury came in at No.18 on this year's list. He is the highest-paid fighter behind former pound-for-pound No.1 star Canelo Alvarez, who earned £72million. In the last 12 months, Fury has competed in blockbuster fights against Deontay Wilder and Dillian Whyte.
Fury, who earned £48million inside the ring for the year, was guaranteed £13million for his epic trilogy with Wilder, which he won by knockout. That payday was likely increased after both men earned a percentage of the pay-per-view sales.
'The Gypsy King' returned to the ring last month against mandatory challenger Whyte, knocking him out in a one-sided display. It could be Fury's last fight of his career as he insists he is now retired, earning a guaranteed £25million for the record-breaking clash at Wembley.
Fury's earnings for the past year are almost identical to his earnings for 2020. He was the highest-paid fighter for that year, making £45million, a figure which was mostly made up by his £20million purse for his rematch with Wilder.
