Israel Adesanya shares four-word message looking back at the time Drake bet on him ahead of UFC 276

Israel Adesanya has not entered the octagon since last August when he challenged Dricus du Plessis for the middleweight title at UFC 305, suffering a fourth-round submission loss. 'The Last Stylebender' is set to make his return this weekend as he faces Nassourdine Imavov in the main event of UFC Fight Night 250, which will mark his first non-title bout in nearly six years, competing for the belt 12 times over that span.

The No.2-ranked middleweight recently responded to a post from SportsCenter's official Instagram account revisiting the time when Drake bet on him ahead of UFC 276. The pair had a conversation on FaceTime, which was shared with the caption:

"When Drake called Israel Adesanya to tell him he bet a $1 million on him to win ahead of his title fight at UFC 276💰 #UFCSaudiArabia (via @stylebender)"

Adesanya jumped in the comments, responding:

"“What f**kin’ curse?!” IYKYK. 💰💰💰"

Check out the post from SportsCenter and Israel Adesanya's response below:

Adesanya was able to get past the so-called Drake curse as he defeated Jared Cannonier via unanimous decision at UFC 276. It marked his fifth time defending his middleweight title, trailing only UFC Hall of Famer Anderson Silva for the most in divisional history.

Israel Adesanya set to compete in non-title bout for the first time in nearly six years

Israel Adesanya has solidified his legacy as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. While he is not done competing, he will surely be headed to the UFC Hall of Fame when he decides to hang up his gloves.

The No.2-ranked middleweight is set to compete in his first non-title bout in more than half a decade, an impressive stat that Home of Fight shared on X, posting:

"😳📊 INSANE FACT: Israel Adesanya will be competing in his first non-title fight for the first time vs. Nassourdine Imavov since facing Anderson Silva at UFC 234 in February 2019. Adesanya had 12 title fights in a row and won 8 of them."

Check out the post from Home of Fight below:

Adesanya's legendary reign includes becoming the first two-time middleweight champion in UFC history. The bout will also mark his first time not headlining a pay-per-view card since UFC 230.

It will be 'The Last Stylebender's first time competing outside of a pay-per-view event since The Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated Finale. Despite his recent skid, the No.2-ranked middleweight likely remains one win away from a title opportunity.