Given the past, it was inevitable that iconic rapper Drake would be at full force for the UFC 293 middleweight title bout between champion Israel Adesanya and challenger Sean Strickland. He revealed his latest big bet ahead of Saturday's showdown, in an Instagram post.

Drake is wagering $500,000 thousand that Adesanya will win via knockout, via ClutchPoints. His friendship with The Last Stylebender is well-known by UFC fans, but his unwavering support has not always been rewarded, at least financially speaking.

The Toronto, Canada native lost a bundle betting on Adesanya to successfully defend his belt against Brazilian kickboxing expert Alex Pereira last November. But Drake got a good chunk back when he correctly predicted that the 34-year-old Nigerian would knock out Periera to regain his middleweight championship in April. Will the pattern continue? Or will Adesanya begin his second reign in dominant fashion?

Sean Strickland has fought hard to earn the biggest opportunity of his UFC career. He overcame Abus Magomedov in July to set up this fight, which means his opponent should be fresher. Israel Adesanya is the clear favorite, but the 32-year-old has showcased a great deal of grit in the Octagon of late. The energy should be busting through the roof in the Qudos Bank Arena, in what is the company's grand return to Australia.

We will see if both Adesanya and Drake can keep the mojo going. The alternative could be an upset for the ages that leaves the packed crowd in Sydney utterly stunned. Regardless of outcome, hopefully both men put on a show befitting of such huge wagers.