Conor McGregor tops Forbes' highest-paid athletes list

Major U.S. sports leagues took a $13+ billion revenue hit in 2020, but that didn't stop the world's top athletes from earning historic sums of money.

Driving the news: A record four athletes earned more than $100 million in the past year, per Forbes' 2021 calculations, which includes endorsement deals, business ventures and salaries.

• Topping the list is UFC's Conor McGregor, who earned $180 million, primarily from the sale of his whiskey brand, Proper No. 12.
• Of note: The 10 highest-paid athletes took home $1.05 billion during the past 12 months, 28% more than last year's top earners and just a few million short of the $1.06 billion record set in 2018.

Top 10:

1. 🥊 Conor McGregor: $180 million.
2. ⚽️ Lionel Messi: $130 million.
3. ⚽️ Cristiano Ronaldo: $120 million.
4. 🏈 Dak Prescott: $107.5 million.
5. 🏀 LeBron James: $96.5 million.
6. ⚽️ Neymar: $95 million.
7. 🎾 Roger Federer: $90 million.
8. 🏁 Lewis Hamilton: $82 million.
9. 🏈 Tom Brady: $76 million.
10. 🏀 Kevin Durant: $75 million.