Dricus Du Plessis expresses gratitude as Drake curse strikes again

Dricus Du Plessis secured a victory in the UFC middleweight title fight, much to the dismay of rapper Drake, who had placed a $450,000 bet on Israel Adesanya to reclaim the championship. This loss adds to Drake's infamous betting streak, which now stands at 17 wins and 189 losses, with nearly 92 percent of his bets ending in failure.

Following his win, Du Plessis took to social media to humorously acknowledge Drake's ill-fated wager, writing, "From the bottom of my heart once again THANK YOU @Drake." The comment has fueled the ongoing belief in the "Drake curse," a notion that the rapper's support often leads to the failure of the athletes he bets on or supports.

The fight saw Adesanya struggle in the later rounds, eventually losing to Du Plessis via submission after a series of powerful strikes and a rear-naked choke. Prior to the match, Drake had publicly shown his support for Adesanya, sharing an Instagram post that read, "Always with Izzy," but his backing once again resulted in disappointment.

This is not the first time Drake has lost money betting on Adesanya. Previously, he placed nearly $2 million on Adesanya in a fight against Alex Pereira, only to see Adesanya knocked out. Despite winning $400,000 in a rematch between Adesanya and Pereira, Drake's luck continues to falter with this latest defeat.

Despite the intense rivalry leading up to the bout, Du Plessis displayed sportsmanship after his victory, apologizing to Adesanya's parents backstage for any hurt caused during the pre-fight trash talk.