Chael Sonnen is not a fan of Grammy Award-winning musician Drake’s penchant for making significant six-figure and million-dollar wagers on mixed martial arts. According to Sonnen, Drake is a “colossal liar.” He claims that the whole situation is a hoax.
In a recent video, Sonnen attacked Drake saying:
“Drake is another colossal liar. Drake’s gonna bet a quarter million dollars on such and such athlete! He’s even going to provide the ticket for you.”
“That is a photoshop from the betting company that Drake is with, Drake has never bet on an MMA fight, just so you understand. And Drake could cover the spread, he just doesn’t do it. Don’t play with money. You’re not going to gain my respect.”
Drake most recently wagered $230,000 on Jose Aldo to defeat Merab Dvalishvili and $200,000 on Kamaru Usman to defeat Leon Edwards at UFC 278.
The rapper supposedly won $250,000 from a million-dollar wager on Israel Adesanya tied to his title defense against Jared Cannonier.
But these screenshots all prominently feature the place where the bets were placed – and were likely a paid promotion.
Drake is not the only one to be posting these stunt bets. As of late a number of prominent UFC athletes also shared their screenshots – most notably Israel Adesanya.
While it may seem like the singer is risking personal wealth – it’s more than likely the company he’s advertising is footing the bill.
On Stake’s official website there’s a page dedicated to Drake titled ‘Journey from a Player to a Partner’. It features a number of social media posts made by the singer promoting their business.
While Drake didn’t disclose this was an ad or that he partnered with Stake – even his instagram profile features Stake tagged.
In addition to securing Drake’s ‘partnership’, Stake also partnered with the UFC.
“We’re thrilled to partner with an exciting and emerging platform like Stake.com to offer exclusive digital and social content to our fans, as well as an innovative gaming experience,” UFC Vice President of Global Partnerships Nick Smith said. “UFC prides itself on being innovators, and Stake.com is a unique way for fans to experience the action and excitement of UFC.”