Celebrities Bet Big On UFC

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promoter established by William Morris Endeavor. The primary purpose was to match fighters with diverse fighting styles, such as kickboxing, boxing, karate, and Taekwondo, to determine the superior martial art.  

The events attracted much hype and were widely accepted by MMA fans. With such excellent market potential, the UFC took a giant leap and created a sport. The franchise recruited highly-talented fighters to expand the line-up and planned more events. 

The sports brand has evolved over the years and is now considered the most high-profile league in the MMA combat sport globally. Based on a survey conducted in 2021 by Statista, 22% of the respondents in the age bracket 18-34 revealed that they were strong UFC supporters. And as the UFC continues to promote its brand in different countries worldwide, the viewership and fanbase are more likely to grow significantly in the coming years. 

Its value is expected to rise, primarily due to the high amounts of revenue UFC bets bring in annually. Moreover, celebrities are mainly known to place big wagers on UFC fights. 

How they’re able to place those bets

The recent trend in UFC coverage is celebrities dropping big bets on platforms like Stake.com. This is the Official Betting Partner of the UFC in Latin America and Asia and the presenting partner of events such as UFC 274. The cryptocurrency betting platform was established in 2017 and is fully licensed.  

With the rise of the popularity of blockchain technology, its fanbase has grown immensely. The company aims to provide punters with a deep interest in crypto an opportunity to wager on a wide range of sports. Stake.com has also improved its brand recognition through diverse partnerships with professional leagues. Moreover, the website recently partnered with the European Cricket League as its main sponsor for the upcoming European Cricket Championships. It also sponsors Everton F.C in the English Premier League.   

With all of the action in UFC, major stars and celebrities have placed big bets on marquee matchups. With a huge $1M payout, Drake ended his curse with Adesanya vs Cannonier placing a bet using crypto on Stake, which was even talked about during the Pay-per-view broadcast.

Celebrities who bet big on UFC  

Here is a list of celebrities who place huge bets on UFC fights:   

• Drake

Drake is a big MMA fan with a long history of gambling heavily on his favorite fighters. However, the superstar is known for his big-money UFC betting losing streak. The hip-hop artist has even been trolled for cursing fighters with his big wagers publicly displayed on his social media platforms.

Below are some of the hefty bets he has lost:

• A hefty USD$275,000 bet on Jorge Masvidal to defeat Colby Covington in UFC 272. However, Covington out-wrestled his opponent in over five rounds, earning a unanimous decision win from the judges with scores of 49-46, 50-44, and 50-45. Actually, Colby Covington was the bookies’ week’s favorite fighter, and if he’d gone this direction, he would’ve netted close to USD$1 million. 
• He made a huge USD$427,000 bet when he backed Justin Gaethje to win against Charles Oliveira at UFC 274. Oliveira was the betting favorite in this bout, whereas Gaethje was the underdog. However, this wasn’t the first time he bet heavily on the underdog. Unfortunately, Oliveira won the fight by submitting his American rival in the opening round. A win would have earned the rapper over USD$1 million. 
• USD$200,000 bet when he backed Kamaru Usman, who was up against Leon Edwards in the UFC 278 headliner. The bet consisted of two parts. First, he staked around USD$149,000 that Usman would win the fight via a knockout and a separate wager worth about USD$49,000 that the win would happen in the fourth round. Kamaru Usman was a heavy favorite in this bout, and many expected him to outpoint his opponent using his impressive striking skills. Unfortunately, the rapper was equally on the receiving end when Leon Edward outclassed the Nigerian with a head-kick knockout in the fifth round.
• A bet worth USD$240,000 in bitcoin on Jose Aldo to win against Merab Dvalishvili in the bantamweight fight at UFC 278. Unluckily, the Brazilian UFC legend lost to Merab Dvalishvili through a unanimous decision by the judges. Dvalishvili, a top bantamweight contender, out-grappled Jose over three rounds, earning scores 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27 across the board. 

Even so, Drake has also won eye-watering amounts of money in certain UFC fights. For instance, his double bet on Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann earned him a whopping USD$3 million. He had placed a USD$2.3 million bet on the two fighters to win their matches at UFC London. McCann defeated Hannah Goldy through a spinning elbow that finished the fight. Likewise, Pimblett secured a deserving victory after choking out Jordan Leavitt. According to reports, the hip-hop artist bought the UFC stars Rolex watches for the hit. 

Also, Drake had a massive payday in July this year at UFC 276 thanks to the enormous USD$1 million bet he had wagered on Adesanya using crypto on Stake. Luckily, the style bender dominated the fight from the beginning using his superior striking skills. Ultimately, he defeated the heavyweight and lightweight fighter Jared Cannonier via a unanimous decision with scores of 49-46, 49-46, and 50-45 from the three judges. Drake’s curse ended, and his supreme confidence in the middleweight UFC champion was finally rewarded. 

Floyd Mayweather

Floyd Mayweather is a world champion boxer known for finishing his boxing career with an undefeated 50-0 record. The former boxer is a true fan of the MMA sport and is no stranger to gambling. He’s mainly known to be more selective regarding his sports bets. He prefers to stake hefty amounts on the big fights or when specific boxers he manages are to feature in a bout. Here are some of the notable fights he has wagered on:  

• Dustin Poirier winning against Conor McGregor: In UFC 264, Mayweather wagered a USD$50,000 bet on Dustin Poirier to defeat Conor McGregor. And despite the unfavorable odds on Poirier, he got the job done, defeating McGregor via a technical knockout in the first round. This wager netted Mayweather over USD$32,000 in profits. He shared his massive USD$85,000 winning bet slip on social media and thanked Poirier for the hit.  
• Canelo Alvarez losing against Dmitry Bivol: Coming in with a 16-fight unbeaten streak, Canelo Alvarez was the betting favorite in this fight. Having been the only fighter to have defeated Alvarez before this fight, Floyd had great faith in Bivol’s abilities. He placed a USD$10,000 bet on him winning, and luckily, Dmitry outclassed Alvarez in defending his light heavyweight title. The bet earned him a total of USD$52,000 and a profit of USD$42,500.

In addition, the high-profile fighter was ready to place a substantial financial wager on himself in his fight against Conor McGregor in August 2017. He wanted to wager a USD$400,000 bet on a finish under 9.5 rounds, but there was controversy on whether a fighter could bet on any other happenings other than a straight win.

He attempted to stake another bet on himself, a win by knockout, but again didn’t manage because of delay. However, he revealed that he gave his friend a six-figure amount to bet on him. This was probably one of his most important fights, and he considered the victory a formality. 

Generally, with a professional record of 49-0, he was heavily favored in this fight. On the other hand, McGregor was the underdog. Fortunately, he defeated his opponent by technical knockout in the 10th round extending his victories to 50-0, so he would have won his bet. According to Forbes, this particular bout, commonly referred to as “The Money Fight,” earned the star about USD$285 million.

His other most popular boxing bet was on Gennady Golovkin vs. Willy Monroe Jr in March 2015, where Gennady was expected to defend his middleweight titles. Floyd placed a USD$350,000 combination bet on this fight and three other NBA games. He bet on Gennady Golovkin to win and predicted the bout to finish in under 5.5 rounds. Golovkin won the fight by knockout. This was a lucky bet, considering the referee ended the fight just 45 seconds into the sixth round. He would have probably lost the stake had the bout entered round six.  

Floyd has also built a reputation for betting on football matches and visiting casino halls to gamble. And his numerous betting wins have topped up his bank account.

• Faze Banks

Faze Banks is a YouTuber with about 5.2 million subscribers. He’s also an MMA fan and mostly posts UFC-related content on his channel. The Youtuber was prepared to place a USD$10,000 bet on Nate Diaz to outpoint Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of UFC 279. Nate Diaz (21-13) was set to face Khamzat Chimaev (11-0), and by winning this bout, Diaz would’ve given his challenger his first career loss. 

However, Chimaev badly missed weight at the weigh-ins, weighing 178.5 pounds. The UFC welterweight limit is 171 pounds, and since he had an additional 7.5 pounds, the bout was canceled. This was Diaz’s last fight in his UFC contract, and he opted not to face an overweight challenger. Instead, he was matched up with Tony Ferguson, whom he defeated through submission.   

Even so, the internet celebrity’s willingness to bet on Diaz had raised questions online, considering he was the biggest underdog in this fight. Chimaev was the bookies’ favorite and was rated as one of the best fighters at 170 pounds with impressive size and strength. But being Diaz’s avid fan, Banks was ready to put his money where his mouth was.   

• Ricco Rodriguez

Ricco Rodriguez is a semi-retired MMA fighter who competed in the heavyweight division. On top of his career salary, the athlete has also made fortunes through gambling. He’s known for his calculative betting strategies, making him a successful punter.

He revealed that he perfected his betting skills by starting with small bets on himself. This gives him extra motivation in the Octagon as he’ll see that he gets the job done to win his bets. He wagered a decent amount in his fight against Randy Couture.  

This raised a debate about whether UFC fighters should be allowed to bet on themselves. The stars can bet on themselves winning in a fight but are restricted from betting on their opponents as it’s viewed as a violation of UFC’s Fighter conduct policy. Also, it’s to ensure fighters give their all in the Octagon.  

Different ways of betting

• Below are some of the ways celebrities bet: 
• ‘Method of Victory’ betting: This is a higher risk form of gambling that most celebrities like Drake have used, probably because of the bigger payouts. Bettors predict the winner and how the fighter will finish the match. For instance, you can back a unanimous decision win, victory by knockout, technical knockout, submission, or a draw. 
• Round betting: Predicting which round the bout can be won in and the fighter that’ll emerge victorious. 
• Props betting: Just like other sports, UFC gamblers can bet on various outcomes of the match other than the winner. Props betting allows punters to bet on different happenings, such as the match’s outcome, the fight to go the distance, and the points spread.  
• Head-to-Head: Picking the winner of the bout since most UFC fights rarely end in a draw or no contest.

Also, below are some elements they analyze when predicting the outcome of a bout:

• The strengths and weaknesses of a fighter: For instance, if a fighter has been recently injured or the opponent uses a unique MMA skill that can provide a competitive advantage.
• Fight track record: This refers to how often the fighter appears in matches, their recent opponents, and the results.
• Height and reach: For instance, fighters with a lanky frame like Adesanya usually leverage their stand-up skills as their best weapon. 
• Age: Long years of fighting result in a lot of wear and tear. Therefore, younger fighters may have an advantage over older ones. However, age also comes with experience, so older fighters can likely outshine young ones because of talent. 
• Fighting styles: Well-rounded fighters usually have an advantage in the cage since they can mix martial arts skills to pick off their opponents.  

Conclusion 

MMA is one of the biggest sporting events that’s entertaining to watch because it’s action-packed. UFC fans bet on their favorite fighters to create more hype around the competitions. The above celebrities not only roll up to watch the fights but also relish staking decent amounts on their most preferred fighters to add to the entertainment. And on top of their career earnings, their betting wins have made their pockets deeper.

Drake’s USD$1 million bet on Adesanya is probably the most popular and biggest celebrity bet on a UFC fight. Even so, note that some have lost big amounts in the process. Therefore, if you bet on UFC matches, remember to do it responsibly as the next fights approach. You’d want to partner with the best crypto betting platforms for a more innovative and secure way of betting.