UFC superstar Conor McGregor recently announced his 'retirement' from the sport of MMA for the third time in his illustrious career.

Whether or not he actually means it this time, his reason for eventually returning if and when he does will almost certainly not be due to a lack of income.

Despite a far from invincible career in UFC, McGregor has ascended to the very top of the sport, becoming one of the most wealthy and best-known athlete in the entire world.

Here we'll have a look at some of the reasons why McGregor won't be running short on cash any time soon, with a little help from an article published by The Mirror.

1. Fight Money

On his UFC debut against Marcus Brimage in Stockholm in April 2013, he was only guaranteed an $8,000 purse.

Upon winning the fight in the first round, the Irishman managed to double his earnings and then also claim a bonus $60,000 for a knockout of the night award. Just a few years prior to this, McGregor had been living on benefits.

Successive wins against the likes of Diego Brandao and Max Holloway saw him rake in an additional $100,000 a fight, and by this point the rocket had been strapped to McGregor, it was only upwards for him from here.

His first six-figure purse came in the form of a fight against Dustin Poirier in 2014, in which he came out with an impressive $200,000 when all of the bonuses were added together.

The first time he earned $1 million for a fight came in 2016 when he lost to Nate Diaz. His subsequent four fights then earned him $3 million each bout. 

This brings his total career income in the Octagon to around $15 million, but as we know, he certainly hasn't limited himself to just the one sport.

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It is rumoured that McGregor made as much as $100 million for his blockbuster fight against Floyd Mayweather back in 2017.

2. Sponsorship Deals

The UFC itself does have rules on what and how much can be promoted by their stars, but this doesn't prevent McGregor from earning at least $5 million a year from a promotion with Reebok, who provide his fightwear.

McGregor's previous brand deals also include Bud Light, Monster Energy and Beats by Dre. 

Even something as simple as a logo on the Irishman's shorts from bookmakers Bet Safe landed McGregor a very respectable $200,000.

3. His Whiskey Brand

After his legendary defeat to Mayweather, McGregor launched his own brand of whiskey, which has proven extremely successful for him so far.

As you'd expect from a rich Irishman, McGregor's whiskey quickly grew to rival Jameson's, which had for the longest time held a monopoly over the whiskey industry in Conor's home country.

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McGregor posted on social media last year: "Over $1b generated in Whiskey sales in my first year! Like it or not, there is a new King in town! Proper Whiskey, liquid sunshine."

Whether you believe him word for word or not is up to you, but it would be difficult to deny the success that McGregor's 'Proper No. 12' brand has achieved to this point. 

It's a safe bet that McGregor will make even more money once his UFC career is officially over, but for now, it's almost a certainty that he will return to the sport at least one more time.