Dricus du Plessis thanks Drake for backing rival Sean Strickland at UFC 297, fans react - “Could pay the entire UFC roster with his gambling L’s”

The 'Drake curse' struck again at UFC 297, and Dricus du Plessis played into the narrative.

Along with announcing his attendance at the Toronto pay-per-view card, the Canadian rapper shared a post on his Instagram story with a hefty bet on champion Sean Strickland to retain his belt in the main event. Strickland went on to lose the fight by split decision to Du Plessis, adding to the amount of money Drake has lost through sports betting.

Two days after the win, Du Plessis mocked Drake with a sarcastic tweet referencing the ongoing joke.

Though Drake did not respond, fans loved the comedic post from the new champion and reacted accordingly. Not all fans like the tweet, however, as some supporters of Strickland who did not agree with the judges' decision berated the South African for celebrating.

Regardless of who they felt won the fight, a majority of fans used the comment section to add jokes at Drake's expense.

Other fans commented:

"The Drake curse lives on! 😆🤙"

"I was so happy to see Drake bet against you, I was even more sure you were winning"

"Doubled up when we seen Drake drop a bet. Thanks for the BIG payout @dricusduplessis"

"I almost forgot you lost"

"Proud of you brother, you showed out for all of Africa"

View more fan reactions to Dricus du Plessis' tweet below:

Fan reactions to Dricus du Plessis' tweet at Drake [via @dricusduplessis on X]

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How much money did Drake bet against Dricus du Plessis?

Continuing his trend of betting large amounts of money on his favorite fighters, Drake placed a losing bet on Sean Strickland to win the UFC 297 main event.

As he advertised on Instagram for his sponsor, Stake.com, Drake bet a massive $700,000 on the American middleweight to retain his belt.

Though the Strickland bet was the only wager the rapper publicized, fans jokingly blamed the Toronto native's presence in the Scotiabank Arena for the Canadian fighters going 2-7 on the card.

Of all the fighters who lost, the male Canadians went 0-7, including Mike Malott, who lost as a -400 favorite. The only two Canadian natives to claim victory on Jan. 20 were the two females from the country on the card, Gillian Robertson and Jasmine Jasudavicius.