Rap superstar Drake’s run of bad luck gambling on the UFC came to and end after he won a $1million bet on Israel Adesanya’s UFC middleweight title defence against Jared Cannonier.
The multi-platinum recording artist has an infamous ‘Drake curse’ where fighters and other top athletes lose major events after he shows his support. And his luck has been particularly bad for MMA fighters, posing with Conor McGregor before his fight against Floyd Mayweather as well as losing a number of big money bets this year.
He first put $275,000 on Jorge Masvidal despite his underdog odds against Colby Covington in March. The former world title contender was comfortably beaten by unanimous decision, but it didn’t stop Drake from doubling down and putting $550,000 on Justin Gaethje to beat Charles Oliveira two months later, which also saw him lose big money.
But he was in much safer territory with Adesanya who was the odds-on favourite in his fourth title defence. And the Nigerian dominated from start to finish as Cannonier failed to take advantage of his opportunity.
Earlier, in video shared on social media, Adesanya could be seen on a Facetime call with the rapper before the fight. It was on this line that he was told about the bet, with Drake again putting massive money on a UFC fight, although this time he was backing a favourite.
“Bro, I already know what time it is,” Drake could be heard saying. “You know, I put a light million up.” When Adesanya balked at the number, he responded that it was “a light mil,”. “I had to put a light mil on my brother,” he added. “Return on investment is a lock.”
“I just want to wish you good luck,” he added later during the call. “You know I love you, brother. You’re different. You’re a different guy, bro. I have a deep, deep, deep love and respect for you. A deep love and respect.”
The Canadian musician’s infamous “curse” extends to other sports as well, with many joking that he was behind Manchester City’s Champions League loss to Tottenham Hotspur in 2019 . They were on the verge of a first ever Champions League final when a number of players were pictured with the rapper, before losing an ill-fated second leg days later.
Drake is one of the world’s most famous rappers, and recently hit No.1 in the charts with his new album ‘Honestly, Nevermind’. It was his 11th such hit in America, and has proven popular with fans around the world.
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