"He be hard to beat this year" - Conor McGregor suggests he might not top Lionel Messi in next year's Forbes list of 'Highest-Paid Athletes'

Conor McGregor ranked #1 on Forbes' 2021 list of the world's highest-paid athletes with an annual earning of over $180 million in the twelve months preceding the list's publication.

Second on the list was soccer superstar Lionel Messi, who made $130 million during the same period.

In his latest Instagram post, Conor McGregor has suggested that he might not be able to surpass the Argentine football maestro's earnings next year for the Forbes list, given that he will not be competing in the UFC for the rest of 2021 because of his broken leg.

However, the Irishman also said that he should not be counted out since he has already earned Lionel Messi's annual wage within two months of the fiscal year.

"It’s crazy how this team has scooped all these incredible players up, and in such quick succession too. Messi is on 75mill U.S dollar a year, flat. Not including endorsement on top. He be hard to beat this year on the Forbes list without one more fight in the book. But that said don’t count me out. We are only 2 months into this new Forbes fiscal year and I already have his years wage boxed off," Conor McGregor wrote.

Conor McGregor also outdid the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, LeBron James and Roger Federer to claim the top spot on the Forbes list.

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How did Conor McGregor make it to the top of Forbes 2021 list of 'Highest Paid Athletes'?

According to Forbes, only $22 million out of Conor McGregor's whopping $180 million annual earnings came from fighting inside the octagon, whereas Lionel Messi earned $97 million of his $130 million on the field.

However, the lion's share of Conor McGregor's colossal earnings this past year came from selling a majority stake in his renowned Irish whiskey company, Proper No. Twelve.

It was reported at the end of April that McGregor, along with co-founders Audie Attar and Ken Austin, sold their majority stakes in the whiskey company to American brewery Proximo Spirits.

The deal went through for $600 million, which was then divided among the three partners.

Even though Conor McGregor will not be competing for the rest of the year as he recovers from the UFC 264 leg break against Dustin Poirier, he is not wrong in claiming that he still might earn more than Lionel Messi out of the field.

Conor McGregor owns or co-owns several businesses, such as the 'August McGregor' clothing line, the 'McGregor FAST' fitness app, and 'The MacLife' media house, which should make him enough money to make sure he remains on the Forbes list, if not at the top of it.

However, Lionel Messi will also be looking at a great year financially, having signed with PSG in one of football's biggest transfers both in terms of money and significance. The contract has reportedly been signed for an amount between $30-$35 million. At the same time, Forbes reports that he will also get a cut of player image rights, including jersey sales, which could potentially bump his annual salary up to the $75 million range.