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The UFC represents the peak of combat sports. It has maintained a strong challenge against its only true competitor: boxing. Besides the likes of Tyson Fury and Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez, there are very few boxers who can match the PPV sales generated by the stars in MMA's premier promotion.
Thus, Dana White's banner has countless matchups that draw fan interest. Part of that interest revolves around gambling. On the negative end of the spectrum, James Krause's involvement in a historic betting scandal led to a premature end for his gym, Glory MMA.
Drake, however, is on the humorous end of the spectrum. The globally-renowned hip hop star is known for being the centerpiece of an internet phenomenon known as the "Drake Curse." It claims that anyone and anything the rapper bets on inevitably loses, and this list looks at five such incidents in the UFC.
#5. José Aldo, UFC 278
MMA great José Aldo is a former titleholder in the UFC featherweight division. Unfortunately, struggles in the weight class that he once dominated led to a journey down into the promotion's bantamweight alternative. Despite an initial run of two losses, 'Scarface' rebounded with an impressive win streak.
At the time, he hoped to earn a title fight on the back of three wins, but he was in need of one more win to earn a crack at the divisional throne. His opponent was tireless Georgian grappler Merab Dvalishvili. Ahead of the bout, Drake bet nearly $240,000 on 'Scarface'.
Instead, the former featherweight kingpin never quite found his groove and lost a lopsided unanimous decision after struggling with his foe's volume, pace, and clinch grappling.
#4. Justin Gaethje, UFC 274
Former interim UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje is arguably the most exciting fighter in the world. He recently defeated Rafael Fiziev at UFC 286 to capture his seventh-ever Fight of the Night honor in a thrilling back-and-forth bout. A year ago, 'The Highlight' faced Charles Oliveira for lightweight gold.
At the time, 'do Bronx' was the reigning divisional champion. Drake, however, was confident in Justin Gaethje's chances of beating him. He placed a $427,000 bet on the American knockout artist and ran the chance to win over a million dollars. Unfortunately, fate didn't go his way.
After an action-packed first minute, Gaethje was dropped during an exchange before subsequently suffering a submission loss to Oliveira.
#3. Jorge Masvidal, UFC 272
Jorge Masvidal rose to superstar status after an unprecedented run of form in a career that was once rife with uneventful split-decision losses. It's not often that a veteran of the sport that many once dismissed as a journeyman turns things around in such a manner that he becomes a top PPV star.
The 38-year-old's record-setting knockout over Ben Askren and his subsequent TKO win against Nate Diaz brought him fame unlike anything he's ever experienced. His first bout with Kamaru Usman sold 1.3 million PPV buys. Unfortunately, the fight was the beginning of a three-fight losing streak.
The 'BMF' champion's skid culminated with a loss to former friend Colby Covington. Prior to the bout, Drake had placed a $275,000 bet on 'Gamebred.' To his misfortune, the 38-year-old suffered a lopsided unanimous decision loss to 'Chaos.'
#2. Kamaru Usman, UFC 278
Perhaps the logic behind one or two of Drake's bets can be called into question. However, some of them seemed to have sound reasoning behind them. Kamaru Usman was once the welterweight king. Last year, he was en route to a record-setting win streak as he hoped to match Anderson Silva's stretch of 16 UFC wins.
At UFC 278, his opponent was someone he had faced before: Leon Edwards. Their initial bout ended with a dominant win for 'The Nigerian Nightmare'. Due to his relative dominance inside the octagon, everyone expected him to have a repeat performance of the pair's first match.
While three of the five rounds went exactly as fans and analysts expected, the fifth round led to the knockout of the year. Unfortunately, for Drake, who bet $200,000 on Kamaru Usman, the Nigerian grappler was flattened by Leon Edwards in the final minute of the round, courtesy of a thunderous head kick.
#1. Israel Adesanya, UFC 281
The rivalry between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira is well-documented. The pair first crossed swords in the kickboxing world. Their initial bout led to a decision win in the Brazilian's favor. However, the fight was highly competitive, with many believing that 'The Last Stylebender' had done enough to emerge victorious.
Their second clash seemed to be going the Nigerian striking specialist's way until 'Poatan' landed one of the most brutal left hooks in recent memory. He sent Adesanya crashing into the canvas and in desperate need of an oxygen mask. Despite suffering two losses to him, Adesanya was favored to win the trilogy bout.
The pair had their third encounter at UFC 281. Instead of kickboxing, it was MMA. Thus, many felt that Adesanya's experience in the sport would earn him the win. Drake was among the people who favored him to win, prompting him to place a $2 million bet on 'The Last Stylebender.'
Instead, Adesanya suffered a fifth-round TKO to lose thrice to the same man and give more life to the "Drake Curse" phenomenon.
