Conor McGregor congratulates Dana White on the Forbes exclusive “Populist Capitalist” feature

UFC president Dana White was recently on Forbes’ cover page with an exclusive feature to his name titled “Populist Capitalist." The feature was an exploration of several aspects of the successful business established by White. However, one particular aspect was particularly talked about and that was the extent of influence White had upon Donald Trump’s win in the recent presidential elections. Irish fighter Conor McGregor took the opportunity and congratulated White while highlighting the fact that the UFC President was one of the major factors that pushed McGregor to be featured in Forbes’ highest-paid athletes list in 2021.
McGregor’s early career had a stupendous upward curve that earned him a fortune. However, it is still debatable if the credit given to White by the Irish fighter in 2021 is legit. This is because McGregor fought only once that year, which he lost to Dustin Poirier by a TKO. Around that point in time, an estimate of only $22 million was earned from inside the Octagon. Along with it, McGregor’s major earnings came from outside the Octagon, which included business ventures and endorsements and earned him a total of $180 million. His biggest earning that year was when he sold the majority of his stake in Proper No. 12 Irish Whiskey to Proximo Spirits. This particular deal was worth $150 million. Another $8 million came from other sponsorship and endorsement business. With a huge amount of earnings off the field, it makes him the third athlete after Roger Federer and Tiger Woods to earn more from outside their respective sports.
After White was featured on Forbes, he posted it on Instagram, which received great accolades amongst the fans and the MMA community.

Recently, McGregor took to his social media and posted a picture of him holding a copy of the magazine while congratulating Dana White for the achievement. He stated, “Dana White congrats on the Forbes cover. A man that helped me top the Forbes Highest Paid Athlete list!”

Also read: Nina Marie Daniele proposes a contract with Martin Vettori ahead of his UFC Fight Night 254 bout: “if you lose, it’s your fault”
The post by McGregor received both support as well as criticism. At the same time, some sections of the community still find it hard to believe that White was responsible for McGregor’s financial success back in 2021. However others believe that even though the Irish fighter was not seen much in the Octagon within the eligible period for the Forbes list, the UFC president helped the fighter build a reputation outside the cage that earned him the endorsements and business opportunities.