10 September 2023 , 06:02
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Drake missed out on a $920,000 payout after Israel Adesanya lost his UFC middleweight title to Sean Strickland.
The award-winning rapper gained notoriety for his UFC bets last year but has gone on a mixed run of form with some big wins and losses. Drake's latest bet was placed on Adesanya to knockout Strickland in the main event of UFC 293, but he lost out on a six-figure payout as Strickland produced a massive upset by winning a unanimous decision.
Strickland said after his win: "Is this my f****ng dream, I am going to wake up? Somebody hit me, oh my god you guys. Never in a million years did I think I would be here. I don't cry much but I'm trying to keep my s*** together right now. I gave up so many brain cells to the MMA gods every day. The gold around my waist don't mean s***. How you live your life means more."
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Drake still would have lost out if Adesanya had either tapped out Strickland or won on points as his bet was only placed on the former champion to win by knockout. The bet paid off for Drake earlier this year when Adesanya reclaimed the middleweight belt against Alex Pereira in April as the rapper won $2.7million.
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Drake started putting down big money on UFC fights last March when he backed Jorge Masvidal to beat Colby Covington in their grudge fight last March, but the rapper lost $275,000 on the fight. His bad luck continued just a few months later when Justin Gaethje was choked out by Charles Oliveira in their lightweight title clash as the fight cost him another $400,000.
After a bad few months of betting, Drake broke his poor run of form by winning $1m when Adesanya defended his belt against Jared Cannonier. Drake's six-figure bets continued to pay off when Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann won their respective fights UFC London, with their wins pocketing Drake a $3.6m payday. He even showed his appreciation for the Scouse duo by gifting them both new Rolex watches.
Drake pocketed a $1.7million win earlier this year when Jon Jones won the UFC heavyweight title by tapping out Ciryl Gane in less than two minutes. The win covered his losses from just a few weeks prior to the fight when he put down $400,000 on YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul to beat Love Island star Tommy Fury in their grudge fight.