Roger Federer and Conor McGregor are prominent athletes in different sports. Federer is a retired Swiss tennis player; McGregor is an Irish mixed martial artist and former UFC champion. Their clearest documented connection is Forbes’ athlete earnings rankings: Federer topped the list in 2020, and McGregor topped it in 2021. The sources reviewed for this article do not establish a friendship, family tie, business partnership or sporting rivalry between them.
Their names make a useful comparison because both earned substantial income beyond competition. Understanding how they reached the top of Forbes’ rankings, however, requires looking past the headline figures.
The documented link: Forbes’ highest-paid athletes
Forbes placed Federer first on its 2020 list of the world’s highest-paid athletes, estimating his pretax earnings at $106.3 million. Of that amount, Forbes attributed $100 million to endorsements and appearance fees and $6.3 million to prize money. He was the first tennis player to lead the ranking since Forbes began it in 1990.
McGregor took first place on the 2021 list with an estimated $180 million. Forbes said $158 million came from outside his fighting career, with a large share tied to the sale of his majority stake in the Proper No. Twelve whiskey brand. Federer also appeared on the 2021 list, in seventh place at approximately $90 million.
| Forbes ranking | Athlete | Estimated pretax earnings | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Roger Federer | $106.3 million | 1st |
| 2021 | Conor McGregor | $180 million | 1st |
| 2021 | Roger Federer | Approximately $90 million | 7th |
These are estimated earnings for particular ranking periods, not net-worth figures. McGregor earned more under Forbes’ 2021 calculation; that result cannot establish which man has greater lifetime earnings or wealth. It also does not imply that they earned money together.
Federer’s route from tennis titles to commercial reach
Federer’s sporting record explains why his name carried weight with sponsors. He won his first Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon in 2003. His 2009 French Open victory completed a career Grand Slam: at least one singles title at each of tennis’s four major tournaments. He finished with 20 Grand Slam singles titles, including eight at Wimbledon.
The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) credits Federer with 103 tour-level singles titles and 310 weeks at world No. 1. His final major title came at the 2018 Australian Open. He ended his competitive career at the Laver Cup in September 2022.
Those achievements were built across many seasons and tournaments. That duration matters to the earnings story. Federer could remain visible to an international audience year after year, while sponsorships and appearances became a major part of his income. Forbes’ 2020 breakdown shows just how much larger that income was than his prize money during the period it measured.
Federer also took an ownership role in a sports company. In November 2019, Swiss footwear brand On announced that he had joined as a co-owner and entrepreneur, with a role in product development and marketing. That is a documented business relationship involving Federer and On; it provides no evidence of a venture involving McGregor.
McGregor’s route from UFC titles to a major business payout
McGregor made his reputation in mixed martial arts. In December 2015, he knocked out José Aldo in 13 seconds to win the UFC featherweight championship. In November 2016, he defeated Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight title, becoming the first fighter in UFC history to hold championships in two weight classes simultaneously.
His audience extended beyond UFC competition. In 2017, McGregor made his professional boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather Jr.; Mayweather stopped him in the tenth round. The bout was against Mayweather, not Federer. It is relevant here because it shows that McGregor’s public career and earning opportunities were not confined to MMA bouts.
His 2021 Forbes result needs an especially careful reading. Forbes attributed roughly $150 million of his estimated annual earnings to the sale of his majority stake in Proper No. Twelve. The ranking also counted other income, including fighting and endorsements. It should therefore not be described as $180 million earned from UFC fights, nor should one year’s result be treated as his usual annual income.
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Why the two earnings stories differ
Both athletes converted sporting prominence into income outside their sport, but the 2020 and 2021 No. 1 results arose in different ways. Forbes described Federer’s 2020 total as overwhelmingly driven by endorsements and appearance fees. Its account of McGregor’s 2021 total identified a substantial business stake sale.
That distinction is central to a fair comparison. A long-running endorsement arrangement and a payment from selling an ownership stake can both count toward an annual earnings ranking. They do not say the same thing about future income. Forbes also describes its figures as estimates and does not deduct taxes or agents’ fees.
The comparison has sporting limits as well. Tennis and MMA use different competitive schedules and measures of success. Federer’s titles and weeks at No. 1 cannot be set directly against McGregor’s UFC championships to produce a meaningful overall winner. The verified common ground is narrower and clearer: each reached the top of a prominent annual athlete earnings list, in consecutive years, through a career that attracted commercial opportunities.
Key dates behind the comparison
| Year | Verified milestone |
|---|---|
| 2003 | Federer won his first Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon. |
| 2015 | McGregor defeated Aldo for the UFC featherweight title. |
| 2016 | McGregor defeated Alvarez and held UFC titles in two divisions simultaneously. |
| 2019 | On announced Federer’s role as a co-owner and entrepreneur. |
| 2020 | Federer ranked first on Forbes’ highest-paid athletes list. |
| 2021 | McGregor ranked first; Federer ranked seventh on Forbes’ list. |
| 2022 | Federer ended his competitive tennis career at the Laver Cup. |
The timeline shows two independent careers rather than a shared project. It also places the earnings figures where they belong: as dated snapshots within longer sporting and business histories.
Frequently asked questions
Are Roger Federer and Conor McGregor friends?
The official records and original reporting reviewed for this article do not establish a friendship between them. That does not rule out a private acquaintance; it means a friendship should not be presented as a verified fact.
Have Federer and McGregor ever competed against each other?
There is no documented sporting contest between them. Federer competed professionally in tennis, while McGregor competed in mixed martial arts and made a professional boxing appearance against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Did they have a business partnership?
No partnership between Federer and McGregor was established in the sources reviewed. Federer’s role with On and McGregor’s connection to Proper No. Twelve are separate business stories.
Who earned more in Forbes’ 2021 ranking?
McGregor. Forbes estimated his earnings at $180 million and ranked him first. It placed Federer seventh at approximately $90 million. Those figures describe that ranking period, not their total career earnings or net worth.
Conclusion
Roger Federer and Conor McGregor are linked by a documented comparison, not an established personal relationship: each topped Forbes’ highest-paid athletes ranking, Federer in 2020 and McGregor in 2021. Federer’s tennis career supported substantial endorsement income; McGregor’s 2021 result was strongly affected by a business stake sale. Reading the rankings alongside their sources explains both the connection and its limits.
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