"I don't think so" - When Conor McGregor proved Cristiano Ronaldo wrong by beating him to become highest-paid athlete

Over the past decade, Conor McGregor has been one of the leading figures in mixed martial arts. He has accrued a significant net worth over his professional career but was once far below the list of highest earning athletes.

In 2016, McGregor met with global football icon Cristiano Ronaldo at a gym in Las Vegas. The crossover was popular with fans as both athletes were at the peak of their careers. 'The Notorious' was training for his rematch against Nate Diaz at UFC 202 while Ronaldo was smashing records in Europe with a historic Real Madrid side.

Conor McGregor promised revenge in his upcoming fight against Nate Diaz but also promised to best Ronaldo in terms of Forbes' highest paid athletes ranking. Their conversation veered from Ronaldo's evening plans to attend Jennifer Lopez's birthday party to his mode of transport, a private jet that he intended to acquire.

McGregor expressed his wish to own a private jet and resourcefully mentioned his then standing in the Forbes list. He promised to catch up with Ronaldo at the top of the list despite being much lower.

He said:

“You [Ronaldo] are number one on the Forbes list. I was like number 35. I’ll get up. [I’ll be first this time] Maybe next year I’ll get you. [I don’t think so]”

Check out his comment in the Instagram clip below:

True to his word, McGregor did scale up to the top of Forbes list of the world's highest-paid athletes. It took him a few years to do it as he reached No.1 in 2021 with a reported $180 million in earnings across salary and endorsements.

He surpassed both Lionel Messi [$130 million] and Cristiano Ronaldo [$120 million] at No.2 and No.3, respectively.

Check out McGregor's meeting with Ronaldo:

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Conor McGregor is on board with Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg

Two technology and social media giants Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg are set to clash in an MMA setting.

The potential fight has been hyped by UFC president Dana White while the two billionaires have trained with various MMA legends, past and present. Conor McGregor is the latest to get on the bandwagon.

In a comment obtained by DailyMail.com, McGregor declared his interest in the fight and stated:

"I'm interested. Are they gonna go ahead with it? Are they gonna make it happen? If it happens under the UFC banner, I'm with it. It has to happen under the UFC banner."