Former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor was supposed to headline last month's UFC 224, but it did not push through as "something came up." This was revealed by McGregor himself on his Instagram account, where he celebrated his rank as the fourth highest-paid athlete for 2017.
McGregor says that he could have ranked second, ahead of football players Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, if only the May 12 UFC card in Rio de Janeiro pushed through. However, McGregor said something camp up that scuttled his fight against Rafael dos Anjos for the interim welterweight title.
McGregor was probably referring to the April incident when he and some of his friends attacked a bus during a UFC 223 media day event in Brooklyn, New York. The incident left two fighters injured and three bouts canceled. McGregor is scheduled to face the court on June 14 on three charges of misdemeanor assault and one count of felony criminal mischief.
The UFC then tapped Colby Covington to fight Dos Anjos, However, the fight was moved from the Rio card and to UFC 225, which will be held in Chicago on Saturday, June 9.
McGregor's Last UFC Fight Was In 2016
McGregor last fought in the Octagon in November 2016, when he won his second UFC title belt with a second-round technical knockout win over Eddie Alvarez. Before that, McGregor captured the featherweight in December 2015 via a quick 13-second knockout win over Jose Aldo.
However, the UFC stripped the featherweight belt in November 2016 and the lightweight crown in April after he failed to defend either of his crowns. Last August, McGregor fought Floyd Mayweather in a blockbuster fight. McGregor lost to Mayweather via 10th-round technical knockout but pocketed around $85 million for his effort.
McGregor Placed Fourth In Forbes Ranking
McGregor's earning from the Mayweather fight was enough to propel him to fourth in the Forbes' ranking. Mayweather ranks number 1 with total earnings of $285 million from prize money, salary, bonuses, and endorsements from June 1, 2017 to June 1, 2018. Forbes said Mayweather earned around $275 million from his fight with McGregor.
Messi came in second with total earnings of $111 million, $84 million from salary and bonuses and the rest from endorsements. Ronaldo was third, with a total earning of $108 million, including $61 million in salary.
Included in the top 10 were football star Neymar ($90 million), LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers ($85.5 million), tennis legend Roger Federer ($77.2 million), Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors ($76.9 million), Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan ($67.3 million), and Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford ($59.5 million).
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