Even as the pandemic presented a grim outlook, these four sports stars still shine brightly.
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From left: Cristiano Ronaldo, Conor McGregor, Lionel Messi

Just as the food and beverage industry suffered tremendous losses last year due to the pandemic, the sports industry also took a hit as live events were unable to proceed in light of social distancing measures. As a result, the multi-billion dollar industry had to suspend many of their seasons, which means players either took a pay cut or do not have any earnings at all. According to the economic modelling firm, Emsi, the loss in revenue comes close to US$29 billion. 

Despite the grim situation, here are four exceptional athletes who still managed to bring home more than US$100 million over the past year, according to Forbes.
Conor McGregor (MMA): US$180 million

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Sitting at the top of the list is MMA fighter Conor McGregor. Aside from his income earned from the octagon, he earned US$22 million from the match against Dustin Poirier, McGregor?s fortunes mainly came from his whiskey brand, Proper No. Twelve. It is reported that he earned US$158 million from selling his stake to Proximo Spirits. Furthermore, Forbes also noted that McGregor was the third athlete after Roger Federer and Tiger Woods to make more than US$70 milli...