21 January 2024 , 12:59
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Sean Strickland's defeat to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297 was an expensive one for Drake, with the rapper losing a high six-figure bet on the American.
Drake bet $700,000 on defending champion Strickland, who was coming off three straight wins including a unanimous decision victory over Israel Adesanya in his last middleweight championship bout. He wasn't able to make it four, though, with South African fighter Du Plessis winning by the narrowest of margins.
The fight, which headlined the card in Drake's home city of Toronto, went the distance. Du Plessis won by split decision and it couldn't have been any closer, with judges scoring it 47-48, 48-47, 48-47 in favour of the 30-year-old.
Drake has become infamous for supposedly 'cursing' sporting stars, be that by posing with them, wearing a club's shirt, or placing large bets. The curse was apparently lifted when he correctly backed Argentina to win the 2022 World Cup, but he even lost that on a technicality after the Albiceleste failed to get the job done inside 90 minutes.
Drake shared a screenshot of his bet on Strickland on social media in the lead-up to the bout. Had the defending champ been able to hold on to his crown, the rapper would have been in line to win $1.379million.
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The curse narrative has become so popular that plenty of fans anticipated what was to come. As noted by The Express, many used Drake's bet as reason to back Du Plessis.
Strickland's defeat comes after Conor McGregor's downfall at UFC 229, when the Irish star brought out Drake for his weigh-in before losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov. More recently, Drake's $1m bet on World Cup winners Argentina wasn't a winner, as he had bet on the 90-minute results but the South Americans needed penalties to overcome France.
What are your feelings on the Drake 'curse'? Have your say in the comments section
Sean Strickland was beaten by Dricus du Plessis on a split decision (Getty Images)“I honestly thought with the takedowns, I made sure on every round," Du Plessis said after his victory. "I could feel it was a close fight. I felt that he gets up really well. I felt the first three rounds was give and take but those last two rounds I know. I was there for rounds four and five. Who says this guy’s not a five round fighter?
“He has a super, super strong jab. It feels like somebody hits you with a rock. It was imperative that I make him go backwards. If I’m pressuring with this physique, I promise you’re going to get tired.
"Sean Strickland, you said to death, I tried to kill you in here tonight, didn’t quite get there but you are one hell of a man. Thank you for bringing the best out of me. It was an honour sharing the cage with you.”