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The Drake Curse has been an oft-discussed topic in the combat sports sphere, as well as in the sports realm as a whole, in recent years. The supposed curse has affected several top-tier fighters such as Alex Pereira, Israel Adesanya, Kamaru Usman, Conor McGregor, and more.
Drake, a hip-hop icon and celebrity from Canada, is known for being a sports fan and has a penchant for betting significant sums of money on sports matches/events.
Those who believe in the Drake Curse often highlight that the athlete/team, whom Drake bets on or publicly supports around the time of a given match/event, generally loses that match/event. Nevertheless, there have been a few exceptions. Today, we look at a few UFC stars who beat the Drake Curse.
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#5. Israel Adesanya beat the Drake Curse at UFC 287
Kickboxing savants Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira have clashed in four professional combat sports contests as of April 2024. Pereira defeated him twice in the sport of kickboxing. Additionally, 'Poatan' also beat Adesanya via fifth-round TKO in their first MMA encounter at UFC 281 in Nov. 2022 to capture the UFC middleweight title. An immediate rematch was booked for UFC 287 in April 2023.
Drake bet $500k on 'The Last Stylebender' to beat Pereira in their UFC middleweight title rematch at UFC 287. The singer also placed a few other bets on fights at the event, including another bet worth $400k on Adesanya winning via KO/TKO.
Adesanya won the rematch by stopping Pereira via second-round KO and reclaimed the middleweight title. The music mogul bagged a payout of $2.725 million for the win bet and KO/TKO bet combined.
Moreover, 'The Last Stylebender' had previously suggested that one mustn't believe in such curses, alluding that he'd broken the curse at UFC 276 (July 2022) as well when the rapper bet a million dollars on him to beat Jared Cannonier.
#4. BJJ savant Dillon Danis beat the Drake Curse
Dillon Danis rose to prominence in the combat sports world courtesy of his exceptional BJJ prowess and his association with UFC megastar Conor McGregor. While Danis hasn't competed frequently over the past few years, he does hold the distinction of beating the Drake Curse.
'El Jefe' was pictured with the rapper before his most recent MMA fight, a 175-pound catchweight bout against Max Humphrey at Bellator 222 (June 2019). Danis secured a spectacular first-round submission victory over Humphrey at the event, leading many to ponder how the American fighter broke the curse.
Regardless, the 30-year-old Danis hasn't competed in an MMA bout since. He did, however, make his professional boxing debut in Oct. 2023 and suffered a DQ (Disqualification) defeat against Logan Paul.
#3. Paddy Pimblett circumvented the Drake Curse in London
Paddy 'The Baddy' Pimblett is considered to be one of the most popular UK-based UFC stars. The UFC lightweight and his longtime teammate 'Meatball' Molly McCann competed at UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall (July 2022) in their home country. Before the event that transpired at The O2 Arena in London, Drake bet on both Pimblett and McCann to win their respective fights.
McCann fought first at the event, beating Hannah Goldy via first-round TKO in their women's flyweight bout. Pimblett followed that with an outstanding performance of his own. 'The Baddy' defeated Jordan Leavitt via second-round submission in their lightweight showdown.
Drake was said to have bet around $2.3 million on Pimblett and McCann combined to win at the event, and he received a payout of $3.7 million after they won. 'The Baddy' and 'Meatball' subsequently spoke to ESPN MMA, with McCann indicating that Drake agreed to buy them Rolex watches as a way of sharing his gains. She noted:
"Drake is buying me and Paddy a new Rolex."
#2. Jon Jones broke the Drake Curse after a lengthy hiatus
Jon Jones vacated his UFC light heavyweight title after defending it with a unanimous decision victory over Dominick Reyes in Feb. 2020. 'Bones' spent about three years away from professional MMA competition, bulking up for a move to the heavyweight division.
Jones eventually returned at UFC 285 in March 2023 and picked up a first-round submission win over Ciryl Gane to capture the vacant UFC heavyweight title in his very first fight at that weight class. Before the event, Drake bet $500k on Jones, placing two individual $250k bets.
The music producer bet $250k on Jones to win via KO/TKO and $250k on him to win via submission. After Jones won, Drake received a massive payout of $1.7 million owing to his submission bet.
#1. Alex Pereira shattered the Drake Curse at UFC 300
Alex Pereira, a former UFC middleweight champion and the reigning UFC light heavyweight champion, put his light heavyweight belt on the line against former divisional kingpin Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 (April 13, 2024).
Heading into the UFC's monumental tricentennial event, Drake caused a stir in the MMA community by betting $675,000 on Pereira to beat Hill in their main event showdown at UFC 300. Fans suggested that by supporting 'Poatan,' the rapper has all but guaranteed that his opponent would win their title fight.
Netizens put forth social media posts about the curse potentially precipitating 'Poatan's' doom at UFC 300. Regardless, Pereira ended up dominantly defeating Hill via first-round KO and successfully defended his UFC light heavyweight belt. Meanwhile, Drake is estimated to have earned around $1.2 million thanks to that win.
As for Pereira, he's notably redeemed himself after falling victim to the Drake curse last April. Furthermore, 'Poatan' has likely set himself up for another major fight with the curse-shattering and bone-chilling knockout on the grand stage of UFC 300.
