Conor McGregor becomes the only MMA fighter to rank among highest-paid athletes of all time

Conor McGregor is undoubtedly the biggest superstar to ever compete in MMA, and the UFC's cash cow is now the wealthiest fighter to ever step into the cage. A recent 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.

The Irishman's influence on the sport of MMA cannot be understated. 'The Notorious' propelled the UFC to new heights, boasting over 55 million followers on social media and headlining a whopping five out of the six highest-earning pay-per-view events in UFC history.

According to a Sportico report, Conor McGregor earned himself $530 million over his career, which is adjusted to $615 million due to inflation. Michael Jordan topped the rankings with $3.3 billion in lifetime earnings, with Tiger Woods at No. 2 with $2.5 billion.

McGregor's career earnings reflect the combined money he's made from his fight purses (including pay-per-view bonuses), his 2017 boxing extravaganza against Floyd Mayweather, which reportedly earned him over $100 million, and sale of the majority stake in his Proper No.12 Whiskey brand to Proximo Spirits for about $600 million.

Conor McGregor will further profit from his role in the movie 'Road House' and a highly-anticipated comeback against Michael Chandler later this year.

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Dana White on the recent altercation between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler on the set of TUF

Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler aren't on the best of terms and have reportedly butted heads while filming The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) in Las Vegas.

'The Notorious' is set to make his highly-awaited return to action by reprising his role as a coach on the next installment of TUF opposite Michael Chandler. As per tradition, the two men are expected to face each other in the octagon following the show's conclusion later this year.

While many expected Chandler to ignore McGregor's antics, Dana White confirmed that things escalated quickly once tempers began to boil. The two coaches were initially respectful towards each other, but the pressure started getting to them last week, which led to multiple physical scraps.

In a post-fight press conference after UFC 285 last weekend, White shared details about what went down between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler:

"Chandler and Conor were very respectful to each other, and then some things started escalating that you’ll see on the show. They do not like each other now. A lot of s*** went down on Friday... There was a lot of s*** that went down on Friday... The stuff that just happened shouldn’t have happened."

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