ALEXANDER VOLKANOSVKI earned Drake close to $1million as he broke not one but TWO curses at UFC 314.
The fan favourite became a two-time ruler of the featherweight division with a unanimous decision win over Diego Lopes in the main event of UFC 314 in Miami.
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Fans feared for Volaknovski before the Florida fisticuffs as he suffered back-to-back stoppage losses to Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria in his last two outings.
But those fears rocketed when rapper Drake placed a $545,000 bet on him to get the job done.
Fighters tipped by the Canadian to get the job done have a history of coming up short, so much so that MMA fans have coined the “Drake curse” as a term.
But not Volkanovski, who rolled back the years to reclaim the featherweight throne – and put a whopping $915,600.
The “Drake curse” wasn’t the only hoodoo Volkannovski did away with in Miami.
The Aussie became the first fighter aged 35 or over to win a title fight in the UFC‘s lighter divisions.
Sixteen fighters, including Volkanovski, had all failed in their bids to win championship fights after hitting their mid-thirties.
But that curse is no more following 36-year-old Volkanovski’s ascension back to the top of the 145lbs division.
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Volkanovski was overcome with emotion after reclaiming the belt, telling Joe Rogan in his post-fight interview: “It’s good to be back. I’ve never felt the love so much.
“I was saying all week, even to the camera before I walked out, I said, ‘I promise my girls I’ll bring the belt back.’
“But then I was thinking, ‘It doesn’t matter about bringing the belt back.’
“I think the message was that a lot of people counted me out, coming off of two knockout losses, the 35-year-old curse, 36 years old etc. – a big break.
“And come back to beat a gun like Lopes who came and brought it. It feels good to be back.
“Adversity is a privilege, you hear people talking about it all the time. It truly is. This moment is incredible.”