Conor McGregor absent from 2023's highest paid athletes, Tyson Fury lags far behind Jake Paul and Canelo Alvarez

Despite being the most wealthy MMA fighter in history, Conor McGregor does not appear on Sportico's list of 2023's highest-paid athletes.

The Irishman is without a doubt the UFC's biggest moneymaker, and his impact on the sport is immense. With over 57 million social media followers and headlining five of the six highest-earning pay-per-view events in promotional history, 'The Notorious' is widely acknowledged for having played a significant role in the UFC's rise to unprecedented heights.

In 2021, McGregor was the highest-paid athlete, collecting $180 million from the Proper No. 12 Whisky brand sale. However, the biggest MMA celebrity was not among Sportico's highest-paid athletes in 2023.

Soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo tops this year's list with a reported income of $275 million. He's followed by Jon Rahm and Lionel Messi, who made $203 and $130 million, respectively. Basketball legend LeBron James is fourth, with NFL superstar Patrick Mahomes listed tenth.

The only combat sports athlete who made it to the top 20 was Canelo Alvarez. The undisputed champion of the super-middleweight division stands at No. 17 on the list, bringing in a whopping $66 million.

Jake Paul, a YouTube personality turned boxer, is ranked 37th and earns roughly 47 million, while Tyson Fury, the WBC heavyweight champion, is considerably behind his other combat athletes. 'The Gypsy King' is ranked 64th, earning almost $40 million.

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Is Conor McGregor one of the highest-paid athletes of all time?

Conor McGregor may not be among the highest-paid athletes in 2023, but he is unquestionably one of the highest-paid athletes of all time and the wealthiest fighter to have ever stepped into the octagon.

A recent Sportico report compiled the world's top 50 highest-paid athletes of all time, and 'The Notorious' is the only mixed martial artist on the list at the No. 33 spot.

According to reports, McGregor made an astounding $530 million over his career. Michael Jordan led the list with $3.3 billion in lifetime earnings, followed by Tiger Woods at No. 2 with $2.5 billion.

The sum of McGregor's earnings from fight purses (including pay-per-view bonuses), his 2017 boxing extravaganza against Floyd Mayweather, and the sale of the majority of his Proper No. 12 Whiskey brand to Proximo Spirits for approximately $600 million were used to calculate his career earnings.

McGregor is expected to make a comeback later this year after missing nearly three years on the sidelines.