Drake 's bad luck of betting on UFC fights continued as the rapper lost $1.6million (£1.4m) after betting on Israel Adesanya to beat Alex Pereira at UFC 281.
The award-winning musician placed the huge seven-figure bet on his friend Adesanya, who was defending his middleweight title for the sixth time at UFC 281 in New York against old kickboxing rival Pereira. After winning most of the fight, Adesanya was knocked out with just three minutes remaining in the fight.
Adesanya said after the defeat: “He’s durable and he recovers well. Even in the fifth round, I knew he was going to come strong because he was down. Same thing as last time again. Kudos to him for investing in those calf kicks, because it cost me. It’s another great story for him, but it’s not over. This is still war.”
What are your thoughts on Drake losing another huge UFC bet? Let us know in the comments section below
Drake has a long history of betting on UFC fights, with his last being a $430,000 loss after Kamaru Usman was knocked out by Leon Edwards and Jose Aldo was beaten by Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278 in August. His biggest win came at UFC London in July, cashing in for a whopping £3million thanks to Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann both picking up stoppage wins in the English capital. Drake thanked Pimblett and McCann for winning him big money by gifting them both with Rolex watches.
Earlier that month, Adesanya was in Drake's good books as he defended his middleweight title by beating Jared Cannonier in a one-sided fight at UFC 276. Israel Adesanya to beat Jared Cannonier at UFC 276. The rapper put $1million on the fight and even FaceTimed Adesanya before he weighed in, wishing him luck ahead of his title defence.
The rapper has frequently been accused of 'cursing' fighters with the public display of his UFC betting slips, with athletes in other sports also going on to lose for their respective teams after posing for pictures with Drake. The first bet he made public came back in March, losing $275,000 after Jorge Masvidal was beaten by Colby Covington in a one-sided fight at UFC 272.
Two months later, Drake attempted to win back his losses by backing Justin Gaethje to end Charles Oliveira's run as lightweight champion. Things didn't work out again for the rapper, as he lost $400,000 after Gaethje was taped out by submission specialist Oliveira in the opening round.
