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Drake Loses $450,000 Bet on UFC 305

Ziv Chen

Last Updated: August 20, 2024 1:42 PM EDT • 2 min 1 sec read.

Canadian rapper Drake attends a game as we look at a $450k bet he lost at UFC 305.
Canadian rapper Drake attends the game between the Miami Heat and the Atlanta Hawks at FTX Arena. Photo by: Sam Navarro/USA TODAY Sports.

One of our best live betting sites picked up a big win at UFC 305 last weekend as Canadian rapped Drake lost a huge bet.

The God's Plan artist lost $450,000 betting on the UFC when Israel Adesanya failed to beat Dricus Du Plessis. If the bet had been successful, it would have paid out $850,000. However, Du Plessis defeated Adesanya by submission in the fourth round. 

The rapper placed the bet using Stake, a sportsbook he has been partnered with since 2022 and one of our best sportsbooks in Canada. Drake captioned his Instagram post announcing his bet slip, “Always with Izzy.”

The Drake Curse

Many fans dubbed this latest failed bet a continuation of the “Drake Curse.”

The Drake Curse applies to any sports team or athlete Drake meets or bets on, supposedly making that team or athlete lose upcoming events.

For example, Drake publicly supported the Alabama Crimson Tide, the No. 1 seed college football team in the US, in 2019. The Crimson Tide lost the College Football Playoff National Championship to Clemson 44-16, one of the worst losses in Nick Saban’s time at the helm.

There are examples of the Drake Curse applying to the UFC, with Drake betting $200,000 on Kamaru Usman at UFC 278 in August 2022. Usman was the dominant fighter over the first four rounds before Leon Edwards landed a head-kick KO to win the fight and ruin Drake’s bet. 

It’s not even the first time the Drake Curse has applied to Adesanya. In November 2022, the rapper lost $2 million when he bet on the former UFC middleweight champion to beat Alex Pereira.

Of course, while the Drake Curse is a popular joke among sports fans, plenty of examples show the curse doesn’t exist. While Drake lost money on the above wager, he won $1 million by betting on Adesanya to beat Jared Cannonier at UFC 276 in July 2022.

What Happened at UFC 305?

UFC 305 was held in Perth, Australia, with Adesanya fighting against Du Plessis, the current UFC middleweight champion. After hitting consecutive right hooks, Du Plessis sank into a rear naked choke. Adesanya tapped out, ending the bout 3 minutes and 38 seconds into the fourth round. 

It was the first time Adesanya was submitted in his MMA career, bringing his record to 24 wins and 4 losses. Adesanya has lost three of his last four fights. 

About Stake.com

Stake.com is an online sports betting and casino platform founded in 2017. The company is licensed and headquartered in Curacao and offers cryptocurrency sports betting worldwide. While its real-money sportsbook and online casino are not available in the US in states with legal gaming, the company’s sweepstakes casino is available in many jurisdictions. 

Stake signed Drake as a brand ambassador in March 2022. The rapper regularly teams up with the gambling operator, including featuring in live streams for the company, prize giveaways, and raffles. Drake also uses the sportsbook for most of his betting. You can check it out with our Stake promo code.

While Drake is a Toronto native, Stake isn't a legal Ontario sports betting app. The online gambling platform is not licensed by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, so Drake legally has to travel out of the province to place his bets.

Written By:
Ziv Chen
Ziv has over two decades of experience in the igaming and sports betting industry, having served in senior marketing and business development positions with both B2C and B2B companies, including Playtech and Microgaming. In 2019, Ziv decided to pursue his passion for writing and became a fulltime industry journalist, covering casino, sports, and gambling business news. He’s specialties include casino games and technology, US state gambling regulation, company performance, as well as gambling affiliates and marketing. As a Pitt graduate, Ziv is a diehard fan of all Pittsburgh sports teams, with the Steelers at the top of the list. In his free time, he enjoys reading crime fiction, biographies (mainly of sports personalities, but not only) and American history. Ziv’s Favorite quote: “We're going to pursue perfection, knowing full well we won't catch it, but we're going to relentlessly chase it," Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach.