Alex Pereira must stop travelling the world and start preparing for his next title defence if he wishes to remain UFC champion.
That’s the view of Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier, who has had his say on the UFC light-heavyweight champion ahead of his toughest test yet against Magomed Ankalaev on March 9 at UFC 313.
The Brazilian fan-favourite defended his 205-pounds strap three times in 2024 and has since been on a well-deserved break from the sport.
He jetted off to the likes of Mexico, South Korea and Georgia after his most recent victory against Khalil Rountree Jr last October.
Pereira also had front seats for UFC 312 this month in Sydney, Australia, where he was supporting his training partner Sean Strickland in the main event.
The 37-year-old then attended a Drake concert in the same city and was spotted interacting with the Canadian rapper inside Qudos Bank Arena.
Cormier, a former two-division champion in his own right, had some strong words for Pereira if he wants to get past his Russian opponent.
“This dude (Pereira) was seen in Australia last week still, and he was shaking the hand of Drake as Drake went on stage for his concert…” he said on Good Guy / Bad Guy with Chael Sonnen.
“Pereira better get home. He needs to get home right now and make sure he’s locked in, because he does have the hardest fight of his title reign to this point.”
Ankalaev has lost just once – in his first UFC fight to Paul Craig – in 22 professional MMA bouts.
He is regarded as one of the UFC’s best wrestlers, so it’s no surprise that Cormier believes he needs to get his feet on the ground as soon as possible.
Following Pereira’s meeting with Drake, MMA fans were left concerned that the UFC champion could be affected by the rapper’s ‘curse’.
GettyBrazilian star Pereira is currently on a five-fight win streak in the UFC[/caption]
Pereira shook the hand of Drake at the concert before turning to the camera and uttering his trademark ‘Chama’ phrase, which translates to ‘let’s go’ from Portuguese when used as slang.
The ‘Drake Curse’ has crept up in the last few years due to the downfall of sporting stars after they have interacted with the 38-year-old.
In simple terms, if Drake poses for a photo alongside an athlete or has publicly voiced his support for someone, they more than likely go on to lose, even against the odds.
Ex-UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya fell victim to the ‘curse’ when he lost his belt in 2022.
Adesanya was knocked out by Pereira at Madison Square Garden, which subsequently cost Drake around £1.2million after he had backed the Nigerian-born New Zealander to get a win.
“Drake constantly loses millions of dollars betting on people,” Cormier added. “So you kind of don’t want Drake to bet on you, as he doesn’t have the best track record for winning.
“But what is Pereira still doing in Australia, Chael. He fights in two weeks!”
Pereira is the oddsmakers underdog heading into his bout with Ankalaev, who is undefeated in 13 UFC bouts since his first loss in 2018.
Sonnen agreed with Cormier, saying his argument was relevant as Ankalaev was ‘locked away in the mountains’ taking part in no media duties.
It is reported that Ankalaev has been in Las Vegas for weeks as he looks to secure UFC gold for the first time in his career.
Elsewhere at UFC 313, Justin Gaethje takes on Dan Hooker in what is set to be a blockbuster five-round co-main event, while Bruno Silva faces Joshua Van in the flyweight division.
