Du Plessis Jokes About Drake After UFC 305 Win
Dricus du Plessis turned a UFC 305 title defense into a social media jab at Drake after the rapper backed Israel Adesanya with a reported $450,000 wager. Du Plessis submitted Adesanya in Perth, then posted a tongue-in-cheek thank-you to the rapper.
The wager and the result
Drake shared a bet slip backing Adesanya to win. Reports put the stake at $450,000, with a potential return of about $855,000 if the former champion had prevailed. The wager became a talking point because it was attached to one of the year’s biggest MMA events, but a celebrity’s bet is separate from what happens inside the cage.
Du Plessis retained the UFC middleweight championship on August 17, 2024, when he submitted Adesanya with a face crank at 3:38 of the fourth round. Afterward, he thanked Drake on social media “from the bottom of my heart,” clearly teasing the rapper for choosing against him.
What fans mean by the “Drake curse”
The phrase “Drake curse” is a fan-made sports meme about teams or athletes losing after receiving the musician’s public support. It is not a real pattern that explains results. In this case, the joke was simple: Drake backed Adesanya, and Adesanya lost. Du Plessis used the moment to celebrate his win and join the online banter.
The fight itself carried far more significance than the wager. Du Plessis defended his title against a former champion in a high-profile rivalry, while Adesanya suffered a second consecutive defeat after losing to Sean Strickland at UFC 293. The bet supplied a viral side story, but the championship result was decided by the fighters.
Sources: MMA Mania; talkSPORT; Forbes; UFC 305 results.
Sources
Tags: MMA
