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UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira's recent announcement of a sponsorship deal with betting platform Stake has sent a wave of concern through fight fans, many referencing the infamous 'Drake Curse.'
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The 'Drake Curse' is a widely recognized phenomenon where athletes seemingly endorsed or supported by rapper Drake suffer defeats. From high-profile boxers like Anthony Joshua to tennis stars like Serena Williams, a Drake shoutout or wager has often preceded an upset loss.
The curse extends to UFC as well. Drake's multi-million dollar bets on Israel Adesanya at UFC 281 and UFC 293 backfired spectacularly, with Adesanya losing both fights.
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Capitalizing on this trend, fans took to social media to jokingly warn Pereira about the potential jinx.
“good luck fighting against the Drake curse”
Another had a more specific advice:
“Just dont support their F1 team…”
"Just don’t let Drake bet on you Champ”
“F**k, that means Drake is gonna have to be on him 😭”
Check out some of the fan reactions below:
Whether the 'Drake Curse' is real or simply a coincidence, Pereira will look to avoid adding his name to the growing list of athletes seemingly hexed by Drake's support. He'll defend his light heavyweight title in the UFC 300 main event.
Jamahal Hill boldly predicts knockout victory over Alex Pereira at UFC 300
Light heavyweight contender Jamahal Hill returns to the octagon on April 13 for a highly anticipated clash against Alex Pereira at UFC 300. Hill, known for his devastating striking, with seven of his twelve MMA wins coming by knockout, promises fireworks against 'Poatan'.
In a pre-fight interview with James Lynch, Hill confidently predicted a decisive finish:
"I'm knocking him the f**k out. When I say this, this is no disrespect to Alex. How you take it is how you take it, but at the end of the day, for me there is no disrespect. I like Alex, I think he's funny, I think he brings attention and a good energy and good charisma and good things to the sport... But the way I see the fight... It's truly, truly a mismatch."
Check out Hill's prediction below (11:05):
