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McGregor slips to No. 21 on Forbes' highest-paid athletes list

Ethan Miller / Getty Images Sport / Getty

UFC star Conor McGregor dropped to No. 21 on the highest-paid athletes list for 2018, according to Forbes.

McGregor ranked fourth on the list last year when he was coming off a $99-million campaign that included his massive payday from the Floyd Mayweather boxing match in 2017.

Despite only fighting once in 2018, the Irishman still made $47 million between earnings ($32 million) and endorsements ($15 million). McGregor is the only mixed martial artist in Forbes' top 100.

A bevy of sponsors boosted McGregor's financial profile, including Reebok, which pays him $5 million per year. Beats Electronics, Burger King, and Monster Energy are among his other signature endorsers.

The 30-year-old also launched his own whisky brand, Proper No. Twelve, last year. He has since sold over 200,000 cases.

Soccer phenom Lionel Messi topped the highest-paid athletes list with $127 million in earnings for 2018.

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