Drake loses $700K bet after Dricus Du Plessis beats Sean Strickland at UFC 297 in Toronto
The Canadian rapper would've seen around a $1.379 million payout if former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland had been victorious.
Drake has lost out on some major money on a bet he placed ahead of the UFC 297 main event in his hometown of Toronto.
The Saturday night event at the Scotiabank Arena saw South African Dricus Du Plessis become the new middleweight champion following a split-decision win over American Sean Strickland.
It was a huge victory for South Africa, with Du Plesiss becoming the country's first champion in UFC history — but not so much of a win for Drake.
The Canadian rapper had taken to Instagram prior to the match to share a screenshot of a $700K bet he made on Strickland — who had been the middleweight champion — defending his title.
If the "Rich Baby Daddy" musician had won his bet, he would've seen an estimated $1.379 million payout
"And we're going to fight night," the 37-year-old added in his Instagram Stories post, while tagging UFC president Dana White, who reposted the bet.
After 5 rounds @DricusDuPlessis gets the split decision and is YOUR NEW middleweight champion 🏆#UFC297 pic.twitter.com/xyR1Bsn2Fa
— UFC (@ufc) January 21, 2024
The event was the first UFC match held in Toronto in just over five years, with the last one taking place in December 2018 between Max Holloway and Brian Ortega.
People on social media were quick to react after realizing Drake had lost his bet, especially after the arena began playing the rapper's hit, "God's Plan," following the match.
Drake lost the bet and they playing God's Plan . #Dricus du Plessis, congratulations!! #UFC297 pic.twitter.com/QNybN1cV7x
— V Ó N A N I (@_vonani) January 21, 2024
Please look at how much money Drake just lost 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/A3M3226Dt1
— Faro (@Faro_RCW) January 21, 2024
Lol drake just lost 700k just like that 😂😂😂🔥🔥🔥🔥😅 #Dricus pic.twitter.com/wfdmSlorb2
— The Best (@TebogoSurprice) January 21, 2024
Not them playing "God's Plan" after Drake just lost 700,000 dollars 😩😂😂
— Samurai Jack (@cteedatsme) January 21, 2024
Playing Drake in the arena after he just lost 700k is nasty work lol
— jaden马威龙🦦 (@sketcherbois) January 21, 2024
It's not the first time Drake has made one of his bets public, with the "Drake Curse" becoming a popular joke amongst sports fans. Over the past few years, the rapper has been blamed for teams and athletes losing matches in everything from NHL games to NBA finals to even the World Cup.
But the artist isn't always making poor decisions and losing big bucks: Last year, the "Nonstop" musician placed another "psychotic" $700K bet — this time on the Kansas City Chiefs to win Super Bowl LVII.
Drake noted at the time there was no "logic" behind his bets, but this one turned out to be successful, finally earning him more than $2 million.