Conor McGregor Says He'd Be 2nd on Forbes Richest Athlete List If Not for Arrest

Conor McGregor is proud of his wealth, although he noted on Instagram on Wednesday he could have made even more money if his agreed bout at UFC 224 had taken place.

"Made it to number 4 on the Forbes list this year," the MMA star wrote on Instagram. "If I had of fought on the agreed May 12th bout in Rio De Janeiro, I would have surpassed Ronaldo and Messi to take 2nd place. Something came up however... Ah well, still under 30."

The "something" McGregor is referring to is his arrest following an attack at the UFC 223 media day in April. The 29-year-old was captured on video throwing items at a bus containing fellow UFC fighters.

According to Forbes, McGregor was the No. 4 highest paid athlete this year with $99 million in earnings, including $85 million in salary/winnings. Floyd Mayweather Jr. was No. 1 at $285 million, followed by soccer stars Lionel Messi ($111 million) and Cristiano Ronaldo ($108 million).

UFC President Dana White indicated McGregor could potentially return to the Octagon with a match against Khabib Nurmagomedov, but he will wait to see what happens with his legal trouble.

"Yeah that's the fight to make, but there's no fight to make until we figure out what happens with Conor," White said, per Chisanga Malata of the Express.

"He's gotta be punished by the law first," White previously explained in April, per TMZ.

However, the new information is that McGregor would have fought in UFC 224 on May 12, which took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Amanda Nunes' knockout over Raquel Pennington served as the main event on that card.

McGregor hasn't competed in a UFC match since Nov. 2016 when he beat Eddie Alvarez. He hasn't had any competition since losing a boxing match against Mayweather last August, a bout that helped him get so high on the Forbes list after being 24th last year.

It seems he still has an opening to return to UFC, however, as long as his legal trouble doesn't prevent it.