MMA News Roundup: Veteran fighter set to face 'Drake Curse', Dana White picks his UFC 278 Fight of the Night, Kamaru Usman declares himself 'judge, jury, executioner'
Welcome to today's edition of Sportskeeda's daily MMA News Roundup, where we present the biggest UFC updates and other stories from the world of mixed martial arts.
In the latest issue, we talk about singer Drake betting on a veteran UFC fighter, Dana White picking his Fight of the Night for this weekend's pay-per-view, and more.
#3. Drake has bet a massive sum on Jose Aldo
A former champion and a legend of the sport, Jose Aldo is set to face Merab Dvalishvili this Saturday in possibly the last attempt to secure a bantamweight title shot.
Singer and music producer Drake, who is a brand ambassador of Stake, has bet $238,933.83 on Aldo, and stands to cash out an estimated amount of $516,097.07 if the Brazilian wins. Given Aldo is on a three-fight winning streak, this would be a completely acceptable wager for a rich celebrity under normal circumstances. However, Drake has got quite the reputation of 'cursing' athletes with his bet, since the majority of the sports personalities he bets on end up losing.
@Drake’s bet is in for #UFC278 
👀 @Drake’s bet is in for #UFC278 💰 https://t.co/69RFIohMhn
Under UFC's tweet about Drake's curse, fans shared their fears for Aldo. However, some pointed out that Israel Adesanya, Paddy Pimblett, and Molly McCann have previously broken the 'curse'.
Speaking of Adesanya, he has also placed a bet on Jose Aldo to win.
#2. Dana White picks his UFC 278 Fight of the Night
Entertaining fighters don't always make entertaining fights, but Dana White believes the opposite will be the case at UFC 278 this Saturday.
Paulo Costa and Luke Rockhold, two of the most dashing middleweights to ever grace the promotion, are taking on each other in the co-main event of the card. Heading into the fight, there have been some heated exchanges between the two.
Dana White wouldn’t let Paulo Costa and Luke Rockhold get close at the final faceoff #UFC278 https://t.co/kzstyHcfbV
In an interview with BT Sport, the UFC head honcho said that if the two can bring the same aggression inside the octagon, the bout could end up receiving the Fight of the Night bonus.
"They're both loose cannons. They've been saying, you know, nutty all week and acting nutty all week and it's the fight that everybody's crazy about, you know. If these two come out tomorrow and do what they should do or do what they've been acting like this whole week, this should be the fight of the night."
Watch the interview below:
#1. "I am the judge, jury, and the executioner" - Kamaru Usman to Leon Edwards
Leon Edwards has been quite dismissive of Kamaru Usman's career achievements heading into their title fight. Be it the pound-for-pound king status of 'The Nigerian Nightmare' or the conversation around him being the welterweight GOAT, Edwards has made his stance clear on the matter.
However, the 170lbs champion could not care less about his opponent's comments. Speaking on the UFC 278 weigh-in show, Usman declared himself the "judge, jury, and executioner" and promised to give his answer when they're locked inside the cage together.
Usman mirrored the same sentiment while chatting with Daniel Cormier. When asked about Edwards' comments, Usman simply reminded 'DC' of the "last two" fighters who said the same about him.
"We know what happened to the last two that said that - still sleeping somewhere in Miami. So, I try not to pay attention to what these guys say. But, I've said it before - anything you say can and will be used against you inside the octagon, because I am the judge, the juror, and the executioner."
It can be easily assumed that Usman is talking about Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington, both of whom he has beaten twice.
Watch the video below: