Video Of Conor McGregor Telling Cristiano Ronaldo He'd Overtake Him On Rich List Resurfaces

Five years ago, Conor McGregor was caught on video bragging to Cristiano Ronaldo that he'd someday overtake him as the highest-paid athlete in the world.

And now, the famed clip has resurfaced. Take a look below:

Well, in full credit to McGregor, the 33-year-old MMA fighter has finally made good on his word as in May of this year, he topped Forbes' prestigious list of the highest-paid athletes in the world.

Despite only making one in-ring appearance over the past year- an ill-fated rematch with UFC's Dustin Poirier- McGregor still managed to pocket over £138 million ($190 million) in 2021.

Most of this fortune came after the Irishman sold his majority stake in the Proper 12 whiskey brand, which he founded in 2018, for a staggering £113 million ($156 million).

But while that's impressive enough in its own right, the news has also sparked renewed interest in a now-infamous clip of McGregor predicting his rise to the top after Ronaldo dropped in on one of his training sessions for his UFC 202 rematch with Nate Diaz.

PA

In the notorious clip, the Irish fighter asked Ronaldo if he 'has a jet yet', to which the celebrated Manchester United footballer appeared to confirm that he did.

McGregor then fired back that "I wanna get a jet someday.

"You were number one on the Forbes list, I was like number 35. I'll get up [there]."

After the pair broke into laughter, Ronaldo asked: "Your ranking?", to which McGregor replied: "Something like 38 I think."

Ronaldo then informed McGregor he was 'first' on the list, which prompted the Dublin brawler to say: "Maybe next year I'll get ya. Congratulations. But I'm about to take over the UFC now it's sold for four billi."

McGregor himself was fully aware of the significance of the occasion back when it was announced in May, celebrating his ascension to the top of the sporting world by tweeting pictures of himself holding a cake mocked-up to look like a Forbes cover.

He even cheekily quipped to a Forbes reporter that "I'm glad I pipped Ronaldo this year."

Ronaldo himself, however, is never far from the top spot, finishing in third place this year with earnings of £85 million ($117 million).

McGregor remains the only UFC fighter to crack the top 10 this year, with the only other football player to make the list being PSG's Neymar, who clocked in at 6th place with a not-insignificant payout of £67 million ($92 million).

Topics: Forbes, Conor Mcgregor, Sports, Cristiano Ronaldo

Tom Sanders

@tomcsanders