World-famous musician Drake has placed a massive bet on Justin Gaethje to defeat Charles Oliveira and walk away with the undisputed UFC lightweight title later tonight (Sat., May 7, 2022) at UFC 274 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
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CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLE DIP! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Phoenix, Ariz., on Sat., May 7, 2022, with a blockbuster championship doubleheader. Headlining the pay-per-view (PPV) event will be Lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira, seeking to defend his title against No. 1-ranked contender, Justin Gaethje. In UFC 274’s co-main event, women’s Strawweight champion, Rose Namajunas, looks to avenge her loss against No. 2-seeded, Carla Esparza. And top-ranked Lightweight contenders collide when Michael Chandler (No. 5) locks horns with Tony Ferguson (No. 7) in a fan-friendly 155-pound clash for the ages.
This is according to a recent Stake.com betting slip posted by Drake on early Friday (shown below). The timestamp on the betting slip shows 3:10 a.m. so there’s zero chance the rapper knew about Oliveira’s impending scale fail and subsequent title stripping at UFC 274’s official weigh ins. That means Drake was backing “Highlight” the entire way and felt confident enough to place $427,000 on Gaethje taking home the lightweight crown.
Remember, Drake is no stronger when it comes to betting on high-profile UFC fights. Earlier this year the millionaire musician threw a cool $250,000 on Jorge Masvidal to defeat Colby Covington at UFC 272. That bet ultimately backfired, though, as “Chaos” dismantled Masvidal over the course of five rounds and Drake missed out on a potential $700,000 payout.
This time around, Drake is banking on Gaethje getting the best of Oliveira over the course of five rounds and walking away with a cool $1 million. The fact that Oliveira missed weight and had to deal with Friday’s debacle only adds to Drake’s chances of cashing in. Of course, Oliveira is on a 10-fight win streak and more than capable of taking Gaethje out so “Drizzy” may be out another massive payday if “Do Bronx” comes to play.
While this $427,000 bet puts my measly $20 parlays to shame I can’t blame Drake for putting his money on Gaethje. The lightweight veteran is the betting underdog and has a really good shot to overwhelm Oliveira on the feet and take home the title in front of his home state.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 274 fight card right HERE, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 5:30 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
For more news and notes on UFC 274 be sure to visit our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated, revised, and finalized “Oliveira vs. Gaethje” fight card and ESPN+ PPV lineup click here.