Forbes.com listed the highest paid celebrities and athletes of 2020. Despite just one fight, Conor McGregor cracked the list along with several boxers.
In the overall list, McGregor came in at #53 overall earning $48 million in 2020. The reported earnings come in right before NBA players James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo. The list is based on earning from May 2019 to June 2020. In the athletes only list, McGregor came in at #16 and was the second combat-sports athlete on the list behind Tyson Fury.
McGregor’s only fight of 2020 came in January when he defeated Donald Cerrone in the very first round of his fight. According to Forbes.com, he made “more than $30 million” for that fight. The feature notes he has $16 million in endorsements including an individual deal with Reebok, EA Sports and Wynn Resorts. With respect to the Reebok deal, McGregor came out with his own shoe this past February. The deal is estimated at $5 million per year.
Other combat sports on the list include Fury who made a reported $57 million this year. His earnings barely missed the top 10 in athletes as he came in at #11. He made $50 million in salary/winnings and $7 million in endorsements. The pay includes his February 2020 fight with Deontay Wilder and an October 2019 appearance in the WWE where he banked a multi-million-dollar payday for his appearance.
A pair of heavyweights came in at #19 and #20 on the athlete list with Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder coming in at 19 and 20 respectively. Joshua made $36 million in salary/winnings and another $11 million in endorsements whereas Wilder made $46 million in salary/winnings and just $500,000 in endorsements.
Canelo Alvarez rounded out the combat sports figures making the list at #30 on the athlete list. Alvarez, who is currently involved in a dispute with DAZN over his next opponent and fight date, made $35 million between June 2019 and June 2020 and another $2 million in endorsements.
Payout Perspective:
Its not clear where the numbers come from but the article notes that McGregor made “more than $30 million” for his fight with Cerrone which may include the PPV upside and side deals made with the company. McGregor’s reported payout from his fight at UFC 246 was $3 million which would mean he made over $27 million in ancillary pay. It is interesting to note the relatively low number of endorsements for Wilder and Alvarez. Canelo’s $2 million in endorsements I can consider low based on the amount of buzz he receives and the many fans he has worldwide. Wilder’s less than $1 million in endorsements is also low.
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