Conor McGregor ranks among the world's richest athletes

UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor. Photo / Las Vegas Sun via AP

There is a reason Conor McGregor is always talking about his incredible capacity to earn massive money.

While the Irishman's not-so humble bragging saw him come undone in his most recent fight, when it comes to the money game, McGregor has the funds to back up his word.

Earlier in the week, Forbes released their rankings of the World's Highest Paid Athletes for 2016. Coming in at No. 85, The Notorious made the grade to become the first MMA fighter in the sport's history to be included on the list.

The current UFC featherweight champion was recorded as having a whopping US$22 million for the year, with US$18 million coming from fight winnings. The remaining US$4 million comes from major endorsement deals with Rolls Royce, Monster Energy and Reebok.

It is no surprise the huge sum McGregor has raked in over the past year, with three fights in 12 months, he has been one of the most active title holders in the franchise. And with a US$1 million pay day even after losing to Nate Diaz at UFC 196, his value only seems to be going up.

McGregor tweeted about the feat earlier in the week, claiming he was "still in the hood."

Made the Forbes 100 today.
Still in the hood. #Dublin12 pic.twitter.com/hMFBzYFoi9

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) June 8, 2016

Notably, McGregor's potential rival for the much hyped - and largely unlikely - cross-sport super fight, Floyd Mayweather, came in much higher on the list. The retired boxer was recorded as having a value twice that of McGregor, with US$44 million to his name for the year.

While at the top of the list, football stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi took out the top two positions, with Cleveland Cavaliers poster boy LeBron James sitting in third.

Roger Federer was finally pipped after a number of years as the world's highest paid athlete, coming in at fourth with US$67.8 million (AUD $91.9 million) in earnings for 2016.

In a list heavily dominated by US athletes, footballers and global tennis stars, Jason Day appeared as the only Australian, ranking in at No. 69 with earnings of US$23.6 million (AUD $32 million).