What should’ve been an extremely safe pick has once again backfired on Drake after UFC 278: Kamaru Usman vs Leon Edwards II concluded with a shocking upset.
As part of his ongoing partnership with the world’s biggest cryptocurrency sportsbook and casino, Stake, the Canadian rapper threw down CA$200,000 (AU$224,000) on then-reigning welterweight champion and #1 P4P fighter Kamaru Usman. Betting odds across the board had the Nigerian Nightmare as the overwhelming favourite in his sixth title defence — and against someone he’d previously beaten via unanimous decision, no less.
Suffice it to say, Round 1 was surprising. Leon Edwards, a striker by trade, managed to take down an elite wrestler in Kamaru Usman; which was officially the first time Usman had ever been taken down across his entire professional career (unofficially the second for those of you who are Covington-pilled). Capitalising on the moment, Edwards would progress to full mount before taking Usman’s back and threatening to finish the main event early with a rear-naked choke. But Rocky would have to wait a little longer for his gilded glory.
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The next four rounds occurred as every man and his dog had anticipated. Nullifying Leon Edwards with an entirely different calibre of grappling, the scorecards had it in favour of the incumbent by a clear margin. That was until the final minute of the championship round. Mirroring what had been witnessed between Dominick Cruz and Marlon Vera during the UFC Fight Night event just a week prior, Edwards would hide a ballistic missile of a head kick behind his left jab, sending Kamaru Usman into the shadow realm. KO. Unbelievable scenes.
The wallet bleeding didn’t stop there for 6 God. Earlier that night, Drake placed another UFC 278 wager on former lightweight champion Jose Aldo amounting to CA$240,000 (AU$268,300). In the beginning, it seemed as though the King of Rio had it on lock with technical striking and a 100% success rate in the takedown defence department. Due to a lack of aggression in Rounds 2 and 3, however, coupled with the considerable control time logged by opponent Merab Dvalishvili, Aldo would eventually lose via unanimous decision. You hate to see it.
All up, the weekend incurred losses of approximately CA$440,000 (AU$491,880) for Drizzy. Whether it was from his own pocket as many have debated is another matter entirely.
The Drake curse strikes again.
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