Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter and actor Drake has placed a $700 000 (R13 million) bet that South Africa’s Dricus du Plessis will LOSE his UFC 297 middleweight title fight against American champion Sean Strickland on Saturday.
CONFIRMED | UFC 297: Dricus du Plessis v Sean Strickland does NOT start at 05:00!
Drake, who is no stranger to waging large bets on the outcome of UFC fights, posted his betting slip on an Instagram story for his over 145 million followers to see.
The 37-year-old, who has been credited with popularising singing and R&B sensibilities in hip hop artists, laid down the hefty sum on Saturday – and stands to win $679 000 (R12.6 million) – plus have his initial stake returned – should Strickland emerge victorious.
WORLD EXCLUSIVE | Dricus du Plessis: I won’t be beaten in a dog fight!
Drake doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to placing bets and Du Plessis’ South African supporters will be hoping he’s once again cursed the Pretoria-native’s opponent.
Meanwhile, the stage is set for the UFC 297 middleweight title fight between Strickland and Du Plessis.
WORLD EXCLUSIVE | Dricus du Plessis: I won’t be beaten in a dog fight!
Strickland (28-5 MMA, 15-5 UFC) will attempt to win in his first middleweight championship defence when he takes on Du Plessis (20-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada.
DIARISE | Sean Strickland v Dricus Du Plessis: What time is the fight on TV?
The main card fights will start on 05:00 (SA time) on Sunday, 21 January, live on SuperSport.
There are five fights scheduled for the main card.
UPDATE | Dricus du Plessis FAVOURITE for UFC 297 fight – LATEST ODDS
The Strickland v Du Plessis clash is the fifth and final of those fights.
Prior to that, the following fights will take place, starting at 05:00 (SA time):
| Division | Fight |
| Featherweight | Arnold Allen v Movsar Evloev |
| Middleweight | Chris Curtis v Marc-Andre Barriault |
| Welterweight | Neil Magny v Mike Malott |
| Women’s bantamweight | Raquel Pennington v Mayra Beuno Silva |
| Middleweight | Sean Strickland v Dricus du Plessis |
WATCH: Springboks rally around Dricus du Plessis
Meanwhile, after making weight on Friday, Strickland and Du Plessis got one last look at each other during the ceremonial weigh-in staredown, where they shared some final words.
ALSO READ: Stats, facts, fight time for Dricus du Plessis UFC title bout
Strickland weighed in at 184.5 pounds with Du Plessis tipping the scales at 184 pounds.