Drake Backs Nate Diaz Over Jake Paul With Six-Figure Bet

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Lil Baby & Friends Birthday Celebration Concert
ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 9: Drake performs onstage during "Lil Baby & Friends Birthday Celebration Concert" at State Farm Arena on December 9, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Prince Williams/Wireimage)
Drizzy's betting a cool quarter-mil against The Problem Child.

All eyes will be on Dallas, Texas tonight (August 5) as Jake Paul finally faces off against Nate Diaz in the boxing ring. The fight was announced back in April as Paul sought to find the perfect comeback fight following his February loss to Tommy Fury. That opportunity came in the former of the formidable Diaz. While Diaz has never boxed professionally, he is one of the UFC's best-known fighters of the last decade. That lack of boxing experience makes Diaz the underdog. However, that suits Drake just fine as the rapper revealed he had placed a $250,000 bet on Diaz to beat The Problem Child.

Drake revealed the massive wager on Instagram, showing his betting slip from Stake. While most sportsbooks have Diaz as the -340/3.40 underdog, Stake appears to have the former UFC fight at -400/4.00. That means Drake will receive $1 million if Diaz is able to overcome the former YouTuber. It's a change of allegiances from the rapper. Back in February, Drizzy lost $400,000 when he bet on Paul to beat Tommy Fury. Explaining his rationale for tonight's fight, Drake said "Jake is a dog but I can never bet against a Diaz brother that's just how I was raised."

Drake Goes Against The Grain For Paul-Diaz

DALLAS, TEXAS - AUGUST 04: Jake Paul lunges toward Nate Diaz during weigh-ins before their fight at American Airlines Center on August 04, 2023 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

Drake is definitely going against the prevailing opinion with his latest massive bet. While Diaz has a longer history of fighting experience, the reports of his training have been...worrying to say the least. Furthermore, Paul is younger, faster, and more athletic than the grizzled MMA veteran. Additionally, The Problem Child has already won four fights against MMA pros. Tyron Woodley, Ben Askren, and Anderson Silva all thought they could take him down a peg on his terms. If this was in the Octagon, there would be legitimate fears for Paul's life. But in reality, this is a feel-good fight to help restore Paul's credibility before he attempts to take on an actual boxer again.

The one thing going for Diaz? He absolutely hates Jake Paul. While the UFC veteran may have seemed subdued or even downright bored during the buildup to this fight, it's because he doesn't see Paul as being worth his time. As Diaz stated in a recent interview, he is essentially taking this fight to do what no one else is willing to do - take Jake Paul down a peg and shut him up for a while. Even then, Paul offered this fight because he doesn't care about being a professional boxer. The Problem Child cares about high-profile knockouts of people with lengthy Wikipedia pages, boxing prowess be damned. In short, Drake should probably be prepared to part ways with that $250,000 unless the upset of the century goes down in Dallas.

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About The Author
Benjamin Mock (they/them) is a sports and culture writer working out of Philadelphia. Previously writing for the likes of Fixture, Dexerto, Fragster, and Jaxon, Ben has dedicated themselves to engaging and accessible articles about sports, esports, and internet culture. With a love for the weirder stories, you never quite know what to expect from their work.
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