Conor McGregor makes the top 25 of Forbes’ highest-paid athletes list

Conor McGregor is not only the highest-paid fighter in MMA, but he’s now also one of the highest-paid athletes in sports.

The 28-year-old UFC lightweight champion made the top 25 of Forbes 2017 The World's Highest-Paid Athletes list, which was released on Wednesday. McGregor tied for the No. 24 spot with Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale, and topping sports superstars such as Carmelo Anthony, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Antonio Brown and Canelo Alvarez.

According to Forbes, both McGregor and Bale made $34 million each in 2016. The Irishman profited $27 million from his fight purses and another $7 million from endorsements and sponsorships. It’s no secret 2016 was the most lucrative year for McGregor, as he headlined two massive pay-per-view events against Nate Diaz and another historic pay-per-view against then-lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez last November.

The jump to the top 25 of Forbes highest-paid athletes list is a big one, as last year, McGregor placed at No. 85 with $18 million in reported earnings. Yet, next year McGregor could set the bar even higher as there are talks of a potential boxing match with Floyd Mayweather sometime this year.

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo was No. 1 on the list with $93 million in earnings.