Former NFL star places massive bet on Israel Adesanya

Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is scheduled to fight arch-nemesis Alex Pereira for the fourth time. 'Izzy' faces Pereira for the latter's UFC middleweight title at UFC 287 on April 8. Despite Adesanya having lost thrice to 'Poatan,' former NFL star Brandon Tyrone Marshall has said that he will bet $100k on Adesanya to emerge victorious at UFC 287.

Tyrone Marshall partook in an ESPN MMA interview earlier on Friday while backstage with Israel Adesanya at the UFC 287 ceremonial weigh-ins. Marshall seemingly had the $100k amount in cash and displayed it in front of the cameras.

In a video posted by the ESPN MMA Instagram account, Adesanya was seen expressing his appreciation for Brandon Marshall's willingness to bet such a significant sum of money on him. 'Izzy' said:

"You can bet that on me, and you'll get your money back. I'm betting my life on this sh** for real."

Brandon Marshall, for his part, responded by asserting that he will bet the $100,000 amount on Adesanya beating Pereira at UFC 287. Marshall said:

"I mean, that's the interview. A hundred thousand (dollars) on 'Izzy.' I'm riding with the king. You see it? Hundred thousand; let's go. And it's blessed."

Watch Adesanya and Marshall's conversation in the video below:

UFC megastar Adesanya is widely regarded as one of the biggest draws in the sport of MMA and in combat sports as a whole. His fan base includes the likes of hip hop legend Drake and NFL star Odell Beckham Jr.

Speaking of which, Drake, who's known to bet huge sums on UFC fights, notably lost 2 million Canadian dollars after betting on Israel Adesanya in his last fight against Alex Pereira.

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Israel Adesanya quotes late hip hop star ahead of Alex Pereira rematch at UFC 287

Israel Adesanya lost to Alex Pereira via unanimous decision in 2016 and by third-round KO in 2017 in kickboxing contests.

Their third combat sports contest was an MMA bout, where 'Poatan' beat Adesanya via fifth-round TKO to win the UFC middleweight title in November 2022. Presently, 'Izzy' stands 0-3 against Pereira in combat sports.

Nevertheless, Israel Adesanya has consistently maintained that he's as confident as ever heading into his fourth combat sports clash and second MMA bout against 'Poatan.'

Adesanya recently took to Twitter to post a quote from late rapper Nipsey Hussle's song 'Last Time That I Checc'd,' reiterating that he's confident of beating Pereira at UFC 287. Crediting Hussle for the following quote, Adesanya tweeted:

"Please stick to the sidelines you're used to. As for myself, 'I'm front line everytime it's on n***a!'"