Drake is once again testing his luck at mixed martial arts (MMA) betting with four massive wagers later tonight (Sat., April 8, 2023) at UFC 287 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Miami-Dade Arena in Miami, Florida. This time around the millionaire rapper is banking on Israel Adesanya and Jorge Masvidal getting it done atop the marquee.
Tonight’s event will feature the return of Jorge Masvidal on Miami soil, but the PPV card was built around Adesanya’s anticipated rematch against UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira. The two middleweights have a history dating back to their days in kickboxing, but their first MMA matchup occurred five months ago at UFC 281 in New York City. It was a fight that “Last Stylebender” was winning, but Pereira ultimately pulled out the comeback win and secured a late fifth-round TKO.
Ahead of their rematch later this evening at UFC 287, fight fans are unsure who has the edge. Pereira is 3-0 lifetime against Adesanya, but Izzy was handily winning the fight last time around before making a crucial error. Drake, along with many other UFC gamblers, are hoping that Adesanya can keep things in check and regain his 185-pound title tonight in Miami.
Late Friday night, Drake shared his newest UFC wager via Instagram. The rapper is putting all of his chips on Adesanya beating Pereira. Drake has put up a total of $900,000 on Adesanya to win and win by knockout. It’s a steep bet to make, especially considering Drake lost big money on Adesanya in his first UFC matchup with Pereira.
In addition, Drake is betting a total of $500,000 on Masvidal to take care of business against fellow welterweight contender Gilbert Burns in the co-main event. Masvidal is riding a three-fight losing streak and has already stated that this could be his final MMA fight, but Drake is hoping “Gamebred” pulls out the win and earns a big knockout along the way.
Between four total bets, Drake can end of walking away with nearly $6 million in winnings. Check out the wager slips below:
Drake has gone all in on Israel Adesanya and Jorge Masvidal with his #UFC287 bets. pic.twitter.com/T329L0Hm0y
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) April 8, 2023
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 287 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 287: “Pereira vs. Adesanya 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 287 fight card and PPV lineup click here.