Hip-hop icon Drake once again stands to lose or gain an enormous amount of money at UFC 287. The A-lister has bet on Israel Adesanya and Jorge Masvidal and backed both men to win via a KO.
Drake is notorious amongst the MMA community for being a jinx whilst betting on fights, which is referred to as the ‘Drake Curse’ by fans. The 36-year-old has both won and lost a staggering amount of money but usually makes headlines when his bets don’t come through.
An example of the ‘curse’ was last year, when he bet over $275,000 on Masvidal to defeat Colby Covington at UFC 272. ‘Gamebred’ went on to lose via unanimous decision. That didn’t stop the rapper from trying once again, however, as he bet on Justin Gaethje to defeat Charles Oliveira at UFC 274. ‘The Highlight’ would lose via first-round submission.
The Canadian rap star stands to lose $1.4 million or gain close to $6 million at UFC 287. Drake has bet a combined total of $500,000 on both a ‘Gamebred’ victory and KO, as well as a combined $900,000 on the same outcome for Israel Adesanya.
Check out Drake’s betting lines here:
Former NFL star also backs Israel Adesanya at UFC 287
Behind the scenes during UFC 287 fight week, Israel Adesanya met with former NFL star Brandon Tyrone Marshall. During their chat, Marshall revealed that he had a bet of $100,000 on ‘The Last Stylebender’ to get the victory.
UFC 287’s main event sees Adesanya attempt to avenge his loss to Alex Pereira. The Brazilian defeated the Nigerian-New Zealander at UFC 281 last year, winning the middleweight title and handing Adesanya his first loss in the division.
Despite all the pressure on his shoulders, Israel Adesanya assured the 39-year-old Marshall that his money was safe:
“You can bet that on me, and you’ll get your money back. I’m betting my life on this sh** for real.”
The former NFL star responded:
“I mean, that’s the interview. A 100,000 [dollars] on ‘Izzy’. I’m riding with the king. You see it? Hundred thousand, let’s go. And it’s blessed.”
Check out the conversation between the pair on ESPN MMA’s Instagram below: