The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is gearing up for its 305th edition, headlined by a long-anticipated showdown between Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis.

This middleweight championship bout is set for August 18, 2024, at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

As the fight approaches, conversations and predictions are swirling, highlighting the intense anticipation surrounding this matchup.

Both Adesanya and du Plessis are considered among the top African UFC fighters of the past decade, making this a highly competitive and closely contested bout.

Adding to the excitement, popular rapper Drake has drawn significant attention with his bold move.

On his social media page, the Canadian artist shared a bet slip showing a staggering $450,000 wager on Adesanya to emerge victorious.

Drake, who tagged the Nigerian-born fighter in his post, expressed his support with the caption, "Always with Izzy."

Drake bets on Adesanya

Drake, who is well-known for his history of high-stakes betting, hasn’t hidden his bias ahead of the upcoming bout.

The 37-year-old rapper is also a close friend of Adesanya, commonly known as "The Last Stylebender."

However, Drake’s betting track record has been less than stellar. More often than not, the fighters he backs tend to lose.

According to a report by USA Today, Drake has a long history of losing bets across various sports, leading to the notion of a so-called "Drake Curse." This has led some to speculate that his support might foreshadow a potential defeat for Adesanya.

Adesanya himself has previously fallen victim to this "curse" when he lost his belt to Sean Strickland.

Ironically, Strickland also suffered the same fate, losing his bout to du Plessis after receiving Drake's backing. Whether Adesanya will once again succumb to the widely talked-about "Drake Curse" remains to be seen.

If Adesanya does secure victory over the South African on fight night, Drake stands to earn a hefty $855,000 from his $450,000 bet.