UFC commentator Joe Rogan is not convinced that Conor McGregor should be topping the Forbes highest-paid athletes list. 

McGregor, beat super-wealthy football superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to grab the top spot. 

It was revealed that the highest-paid athletes in the top ten took home combined pre-tax gross earnings of over $1 billion in 2020, even during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown around the world.

Conor McGregor is known to have other business ventures outside of the Octagon, including holding a majority stake in the whiskey brand Proper No. Twelve which he has now sold for $150million. 

McGregor topped the Forbes list, having made $180 million for the first time in his career. 

The Irish fighter told Forbes of his delight in claiming the number one spot saying: "It’s been a long time coming, and I’ve been waiting on the call, to be honest.

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"I could have taken the easy money, I could have taken the quick buck. I took the risk. I put my heart and soul into it, and it’s paid off."

"I know a lot of these athletes on this list, you know, they make so much from their sport, so much from their endorsements. I’m probably the complete opposite. I’m an outlier. I’m a disrupter", McGregor added. 

It is the ventures outside of the Octagon that Joe Rogan disputes. Rogan claimed on his The Joe Rogan Experience podcast:

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"Yeah, but does it count? Because Conor's highest paid because he made a bunch of money off of whiskey. Well, I mean, it's kind of he's the highest paid athlete." 

Rogan is well-known for his outspoken and controversial comments. 

McGregor is currently rehabilitating his broken leg that he suffered in his most recent UFC match. The horrific injury occurred in the first round of the fight, causing the match to be stopped.

The Irishman recently revealed that he is 'on schedule' with his recovery from the devastating incident.