Months after bagging over $2,000,000 at UFC 287, Drake risks another $500,000 for Israel Adesanya to grab a win over Sean Strickland at UFC 293

At the main event of UFC 273, the stage is set for Israel Adesanya to defend his middleweight belt against Sean Strickland. This will be Adesanya’s first title defense of his second title reign. So, this weekend when ‘Stylebender’ enters the octagon, the stakes will be high for him. But the stakes will also be high for another person who will surely be watching the fight closely, and it’s none other than Grammy-winning artist Drake!

At this point, the Canadian has become the poster child of celebrities betting on MMA. However, most of these bets have been on the losing side, leading to the viral belief in the ‘Drake’s curse.’ The curse is an internet myth, according to which any athlete or team that interacts with the Grammy winner will lose their following matchup. Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Jorge Masvidal are just a few victims of this so-called curse.

Easy Money for Drake or a Curse for Israel Adesanya?

In one of his recent Instagram posts, City Kickboxing star Israel Adesanya revealed Drake’s bet on his bout. According to the post, the Canadian rapper had put $500,000 on Adesanya to win this fight. Apart from this, the ‘God’s Plan’ singer has also put an additional $400,000 to finish Strickland via knockout. If the MMA community is to be believed, this isn’t good news for any athlete, all thanks to the infamous ‘Drake’s Curse.’ But Adesanya isn’t one of those athletes.

Earlier this year, ‘Izzy’ defied the odds and beat his arch-nemesis, Alex Pereira, at the main event of UFC 287, recapturing the UFC’s 185lb throne and becoming the first athlete to become the two-time middleweight champion in the promotion’s history. But this isn’t the only feat that the Nigeria-born fighter claimed to his name that day. According to reports, similar to this time, Drake had put $500,000 on Israel Adesanya to win the main event against Alex Pereira.

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Additionally, he had also bet $400,000 on Israel Adesanya to win by knockout. Luckily for him, both these bets went in his favor as Adesanya managed to beat ‘Poatan’ in the second round of the bout. Over the years, Drake has lost a good fortune making wrong bets. But thanks to Israel, this wasn’t one of them. This probably explains why Drake has risked close to a million dollars on the former kickboxer again.

Anthony Smith Agrees with Drake but Thinks Strickland Can Make This Interesting

In the latest episode of the ‘Believe You Me’ podcast, former UFC Light-Heavyweight title, Anthony Smith contender has given his opinion on the main event of UFC 293. Similar to Drake, Smith has gone with the odds, picking Adesanya to win against Sean Strickland. However, according to the ‘Lionheart,’ the bout wouldn’t be one-sided, as much might believe.

Strickland, who is known for his slow-paced pressure, has racked up wins over some big names. But previously, he had lost to Alex Pereira, a fighter similar in style and size to Adesanya. This, according to many, is the reason why Strickland is being touted as the underdog going into the main event of UFC 285. Could he defy the odds and win? Only time can tell.