Drake loses £1.7million after betting on Israel Adesanya to beat Alex Pereira at UFC 281
It wasn’t just Israel Adesanya left counting the cost of Alex Pereira’s brutal fifth round assault at UFC 281 – with rap star Drake also crestfallen by the outcome.
The Canadian gambled £1.7 million on the Nigerian born star retaining his middleweight title, despite having twice suffered losses to his bitter rival at kickboxing level. And sure enough, it looked a smart investment ahead of the final five minutes, with Adesanya up on the scorecards.
But with Drake set to end up with a £2.4 million windfall, the Brazilian, 35, produced an exhilarating finish, unleashing a flurry of punches before connecting with a savage left hook. The shot sent ‘The Last Stylebender’ to the canvas, and ultimately finished the bout.
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It’s not the first time that the man also dubbed ‘Champagne Papi’ has placed a huge bet that’s backfired. The 36-year-old also blew £537,000 by betting on Barcelona in this season’s El Clasico, only for Real Madrid to triumph 3-1.
He has also enjoyed some betting success though, making over £3 million on Scouse UFC stars Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann. But his latest high-risk mistake has made him the subject of mockery for fans online.
“Need Drake to bet on Portugal winning the World Cup,” wrote @Jay___nastyy. “If drake bets it goes opposite.” @SolarJnr added: “Anytime Drake bets, the whole world knows the outcome.”
Should Drake just stop betting on sport? Let us know in the comments section.
For his part Adesanya, 33, seemed perturbed by the decision to stop the fight, a call also questioned by commentators Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier. But the former champion was unable to defend himself during Pereira’s onslaught, a factor which no doubt swayed the official.
The good news, or possible bad, for the music mogul is that he may get a chance to bet on the fight again, with Adesanya immediately voicing his desire for a rematch. “He’s durable and he recovers well,” conceded the former champion afterwards.
“Even in the fifth round, I knew he was going to come strong because he was down. Same thing as last time again. Kudos to him for investing in those calf kicks, because it cost me. It’s another great story for him, but it’s not over. This is still war.”
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