Los Angeles, CA – Drake faced a substantial loss of approximately $920,000 after wagering $500,000 on Israel Adesanya to secure a knockout victory in his UFC middleweight title fight against Sean Strickland at UFC 293 on Saturday (September 9). Unfortunately for the Canadian, Strickland pulled a major upset, with Adesanya losing by unanimous decision to extend Drake’s recent streak of losses.
This marks the third time in recent months that Drake has experienced significant losses from fight bets. In February, he lost $400,000 betting on YouTuber Jake Paul to defeat Tommy Fury, who ultimately won by split decision. He also lost $250,000 last month when he wagered on Nate Diaz to beat Jake Paul in a boxing match.
While Drake has had some bad luck with his bets, often attributed to the infamous “Drake curse,” he has also enjoyed significant victories. In 2019, he reportedly won an estimated $1 million by betting on the Toronto Raptors to secure the NBA championship. Additionally, in 2021, he had a significant win when he supported British boxer Tyson Fury to knock out Deontay Wilder.
Meanwhile, Sean Strickland became the new middleweight champion on Saturday night by beating Israel Adesanya by unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 293 in Sydney.
The judges’ scores were 49-46, 49-46, 49-46 in favor of Strickland (28-5-0), who secured his third consecutive UFC victory and his ninth win in his last 11 fights. Adesanya (24-3-0) has encountered losses in two of his last three fights.
Strickland showcased his dominance with 137 strikes landed compared to Adesanya’s 94, ultimately earning him the championship title. In a post-fight interview, Strickland expressed surprise at how straightforward the match felt.
“I feel like the guy didn’t even f****ng try. There were moments where he was throwing punches and I was like ‘Am I fighting an amateur right now, what the f*** is going on?’. I thought I was going to be leaving with a concussion but I feel relatively fine other than a few bumps and bruises,” Strickland said.
