On the night of UFC 323, YouTube personality Stephen “SteveWillDoIt” Deleonardis unintentionally secured a massive payout. The YouTuber placed a $300,000 bet on former bantamweight champion Petr Yan without realizing who Yan would be facing—Merab Dvalishvili, one of the division’s toughest contenders.
“I blindly bet $300,000 on Petr Yan,” SteveWillDoIt admitted to friends upon arriving at T-Mobile Arena. “Merab… Dude, I’m so losing… It feels like a guaranteed loss and it’s one of those things where it feels like if I pull it, it’ll win, but if I don’t I’ll lose. Merab does not lose… I feel terrible.”
From Uncertainty to Celebration
Despite the high-stakes uncertainty, Yan delivered a dominant performance over Dvalishvili, keeping a relentless pace across five rounds and defying the odds that labeled him a massive underdog. The victory turned SteveWillDoIt’s accidental wager into a $1.2 million windfall.
The YouTube star, a long-time member of the Nelk Boys, enjoyed front-row access at UFC 323 thanks to promoter Dana White. After Yan’s unexpected triumph, SteveWillDoIt celebrated with Russian fans in attendance and shared the excitement with streamer Corinna Kopf. “I just won $1 million,” he exclaimed, visibly thrilled by the outcome.
The surprising story has quickly gone viral, highlighting both Yan’s exceptional skill inside the Octagon and the unpredictable world of sports betting. For SteveWillDoIt, what began as a gamble made in haste transformed into one of the most profitable nights of his life.
