Drake wins over $1 million on UFC 331 bet

Rapper Drake won over $1 million after placing a $650,000 bet on UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van to win his title defense at UFC 331, an event that took place on Saturday night at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The win came despite Drake publicly stating he did not know who Van was before the fight. Van successfully defended his title by defeating Alexandre Pantoja via unanimous decision in the main event. The judges scored the fight 49-46, 49-47, and 50-45 in favor of Van after five rounds. The victory marked Van's second successful title defense, following his win over Tatsuro Taira. Ahead of the event, Drake shared a screenshot of his bet slip on social media with the caption, "I don't know bro... but he better win." The wager was placed on Van to defeat Pantoja in their rematch. The payout for the bet was reported to be just under $1.1 million. The win is notable as it contrasts with Drake's recent high-profile betting losses. In July, he lost $1 million after betting on Conor McGregor to win his comeback fight. His largest known wager to date was a $1.5 million bet on Argentina to beat Spain in the 2026 World Cup final, which also did not pay out.