The Drake curse is (for now) broken!
Molly McCann and Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett are set to each receive a Rolex watch from rapper Drake after their UFC success on Saturday night.
Drake backed the Scouse duo to come out on top in their respective UFC bouts, with the Canadian having a Bitcoin stake worth of $2.296,211.30 (£1.9million) on the two contests.
With both McCann and Pimblett winning their fights, the four-time Grammy winner pocketed a return of $3,723,077.00 (£3.1m), a profit of £1.2million.
‘Meatball Molly’ secured a first round win over Hannah Goldy, while ‘Paddy the Baddy’ won by submission against Jordan Leavitt in round two.
Celebrating their victories backstage, McCann, 32, posted a video on her Instagram accompanied by Pimblett, 27, and made a request to Drake after learning of his lucrative pre-fight bet.
“Drake we have just broken your curse lad. Can I have a Rolex please?” said McCann, before Pimblett – appearing on the video – added “Champagne Papi come on what are we getting for that?”
.@Drake said he'd get new Rolexes for Molly and Paddy after they helped him cash in $3.7 million on his bets 🤑
(via @meatballmolly) pic.twitter.com/xEeKQDSc77
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 24, 2022
Drake was quick to respond, adding the video to his own Instagram story. He asked the betting company he used to make his selection, Stake, to make it a reality: “@stake Rollies for Meatball and the Baddy,” he wrote.
Drake says 'Meatball' Molly and Paddy 'The Baddy' will be getting Rolexes for making his $2 million wager on them a winner ⌚️ #UFCLondon
(via @MeatballMolly, @Drake) pic.twitter.com/vxsDO3piQ9
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) July 24, 2022
Pimblett later added: “Molly sent him a video right after it on Instagram and he said he was going to give us both a Rolex, so we are swimming it.”
https://twitter.com/jedigoodman/status/1550970615791644672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1550970615791644672%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportbible.com%2F
Just like MccCan had done after her KO victory, Pimblett dedicated his win to four-year-old Lee Joshua Hodgson, who recently passed away from complications due to metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma alveolar (ARMS), a soft tissue disease.
“I want to dedicate this fight to little baby Lee,” said Pimblett, “he’s a little warrior. More of a fighter than any of us will ever be.”
Following that, Pimblett delivered a heartfelt message abour men’s mental health, after the death by suicide of a close friend.
"I'd rather my friend cry on my shoulder than me cry when I'm carrying his coffin."
"Mental health is the biggest killer of men aged 21 to 45."
Paddy 'The Baddy' Pimblett opens up on the need for men to talk about mental health, just days after a friend took his own life ❤️ pic.twitter.com/N9tbqtEoTA
— JOE (@JOE_co_uk) July 24, 2022
He commented: “I woke up on Friday morning at 4am to a message that one of my friends, back home, had [died]. This was five hours before my weigh-in. So Ricky lad, that’s for you
“But, there’s a stigma in this world that men can’t talk. Listen, if you’re a man and you’ve got weight on your shoulders, and you think the only way you can solve it is by [suicide], please speak to someone, speak to anyone. People would rather… I know I’d rather my mate cry on my shoulder than go to his funeral next week.
“So, please, let’s get rid of this stigma and MEN, START TALKING!”
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123.
Related links:
- Paddy Pimblett dedicates UFC London victory to friend that died by suicide
- UFC fighter Molly McCann leads crowd in “F**k The Tories” chant
- MMA fighter praised by UFC stars for way he calmly and expertly defends himself in street fight
