Ahead of his UFC 313 light heavyweight title defense, Alex Pereira recently attended a concert featuring popstar Aubrey ‘Drake’ Graham, who’s quite infamous in the MMA community. The singer-songwriter likes to put his money on the line at sporting events, and in the UFC, fans are known for ‘cursing’ fighters with his bets.

It’s no secret that the songwriter has been a lifelong fan of Israel Adesanya, often backing him throughout his UFC career—even against his former arch-nemesis Alex Pereira. Drake famously cashed in on a $1 million bet when he backed Adesanya in his title defense against Jared Cannonier at UFC 276. However, his luck took a hit when he placed a massive $1,595,467 wager on Izzy ahead of his first fight against Pereira at UFC 281—a bet that didn’t pay off.

Despite the setback, he remained loyal, reportedly putting down another $900,000 on Adesanya in their rematch at UFC 287, where Izzy turned the tables in spectacular fashion. Given Drake’s consistent support for Adesanya over Pereira, some fans speculated there might be tension between the rapper and the reigning 205-pound champion.

However, when the two finally crossed paths at the concert in question, the energy was anything but hostile. Instead, their interaction defied expectations, showing mutual respect rather than animosity. Given that the Brazilian has become one of the top dogs in the UFC, he can never get away from fans and celebrities approaching him for a small chat or a picture, and Drake was the latest one among the bunch.

The duo had a brief conversation and even shook hands. The Canadian national expressed his support for the light heavyweight champion, but their conversation wasn’t audible as ‘Poatan’ shared an Instagram story of their meetup, as the only thing we could hear was Pereira saying, “Chama,” at the end.

When the fans came across this development, they had some serious concerns. Well, the concerns were not about Drake and Alex Pereira getting into a fight, since it was about the infamous ‘Drake Curse’. Let’s see what the fans had to say about this unexpected meeting between the fighter and the singer.

Fans urge Drake not to ‘curse’ Alex Pereira

While it was great to see Alex Pereira getting recognized and appreciated for his exploits inside the Octagon, fans were worried about what was to come for the Brazilian native. As has happened in the past, they appeared worried about ‘Poatan’s chances of emerging as the winner in his next fight now that he met Drake in person. In that regard, a couple of fans commented, “No drake don’t curse him,” and, “Is Ank gonna win now?”

They feared that ‘Poatan’ could end up like Adesanya, who lost at UFC 305 after Drake placed a bet on him. The Canadian reportedly placed $450,000 on Izzy to beat reigning 185lbs champ Dricus Du Plessis but it didn’t translate into success. Interestingly, the South African took a verbal jab at the songwriter and thanked him for betting against the champion. It is natural why a fan wrote, “Drake already ruined Izzy’s career.”

The consensus in the UFC community is that Drake always bets against Pereira in every fight, but fans claim that isn’t true. “Drake once betted for Pereira to win. He doesn’t always bet against him,” one fan added citing UFC 300 as an example when the Canadian popstar won big ($519,750) when he put his money on Pereira as he knocked out Jamahal Hill in the first round. However, the cordial nature of their meetup made some fans believe that Pereira and Drake may have become good friends. “Drake Got Some Back-up Now.”

However, fans still want to see Alex Pereira continue to tear down his opponent inside the Octagon, which prompted one of them to say, “Keep drake away from Alex, we want the champ to keep winning!” Some fans would even rub salt on Drake’s wounds by bringing up his highly publicized beef with fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar, who won a Grammy for the diss track he made on the Canadian star. “Pereira: not like us.”

Well, fans might believe curses, but that’s not how Alex Pereira operates. The Brazilian star will be hoping to shut his critics up at UFC 313 by beating Magomed Ankalaev, who claimed that he was ‘ducking’ him. Meanwhile, let us know your thoughts on this unusual meeting between Drake and Pereira in the comments down below!