Drake Curse vs. EA Sports UFC Cover Curse: Which Superstition Will Decide Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway?

In the fight world, every big fight comes with its own narratives. Some are built on title implications and rivalries. Others are fueled by the internet's obsession with patterns that probably shouldn't matter, but somehow always become part of the conversation. 

Conor McGregor and Max Holloway's long-awaited rematch at UFC 329 has both. While fans debate whether "The Notorious" can recreate the magic from their first meeting 13 years ago or if Holloway finally gets his revenge, another bizarre subplot has stolen the spotlight. 

Drake has put $1 million behind McGregor, while Holloway enters fight week carrying the supposed EA Sports UFC cover curse. One is a betting superstition, the other a gaming myth, but by the end of Saturday night, at least one of them will be put to the test. 

Drake Backs Conor McGregor as UFC 329 Delivers One of Year’s Biggest Cards

Whether you believe in the so-called "Drake Curse" or dismiss it as a mere coincidence, the Canadian rapper has once again found himself at the center of an MMA storyline before a major pay-per-view.

Drake revealed on social media that he has placed a $1 million bet on Conor McGregor to defeat Max Holloway in the UFC 329 main event. The wager, made through Stake, was placed at +185 odds, meaning it would return roughly $2.85 million if "The Notorious" gets his hand raised in Las Vegas.

He wrote, “THE MAC IS BACK?!?!?? The proper twelve drinking, tailored suit wearing, Lambo Yacht riding man with the Dubai tan that once had both belts in both hands…Say less @stake.”

The bet immediately sparked reactions online, not because of its size alone, but because of Drake's infamous history of backing athletes who go on to lose. Over the years, his high-profile bets across the UFC, boxing, soccer, basketball, and other sports have fueled the "Drake Curse" narrative, with every new wager becoming a talking point before the event even begins.

The timing couldn't be more fitting, as UFC 329 is arguably one of the promotion's biggest events of 2026.

Anticipated Rematch Tops UFC 329 Tonight!

The card is headlined by McGregor's long-awaited rematch with Holloway, more than 13 years after their first meeting in 2013, when a rising McGregor defeated the Hawaiian by unanimous decision. 

Since then, Holloway has become one of the greatest featherweights in UFC history and added the symbolic "BMF" title, while the Irishman returns looking to prove he can still compete at the elite level after years away from the Octagon.

With Drake publicly throwing his support behind McGregor, the main event has gained yet another layer of intrigue beyond the sporting stakes.

The History Behind the Drake Curse and EA Sports UFC Cover Curse

The "Drake Curse" has become one of the internet's favorite running jokes in sports. While there's no evidence that the Canadian rapper's support has any influence on results, a string of high-profile defeats involving athletes and teams he publicly backed has turned every new wager into a talking point.

The superstition is often traced back to 2015, when Drake was courtside as Serena Williams' bid for a calendar-year Grand Slam ended unexpectedly at the US Open. The narrative only grew stronger over the following years. 

In 2016, after the 39-year-old backed the Golden State Warriors during the NBA Finals, the team squandered a 3-1 series lead to LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers. Two years later, he publicly showed his support for McGregor ahead of the Irishman's blockbuster clash with Khabib Nurmagomedov, only for the former to suffer a fourth-round submission defeat.

Drake Backed Usman, "The Nigerian Nightmare" Gets KOed

Combat sports have provided several more examples that fans point to. Anthony Joshua lost his heavyweight titles to Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019 after joking about "breaking the curse" in a photo with Drake. 

More recently, former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman was widely considered one of the sport's pound-for-pound best before suffering Leon Edwards' stunning last-minute head-kick knockout in 2022, a fight many fans also added to the ever-growing list of supposed Drake Curse victims.

Drake has enjoyed his share of successful picks over the years, and the theory remains nothing more than an internet meme. But given his habit of placing seven-figure bets on marquee events, every new wager inevitably reignites the conversation.

Examining EA Sports UFC Curse

The EA Sports UFC cover curse, on the other hand, has developed a similarly strange reputation.

The pattern began with the original EA Sports UFC game in 2014, when cover star Jon Jones was forced out of his next scheduled fight through injury. His fellow cover athlete, Alexander Gustafsson, then lost his next outing to Anthony Johnson.

The streak continued over the next decade. Ronda Rousey appeared on the cover of EA Sports UFC 2 before suffering her shocking knockout loss to Holly Holm. McGregor, who shared that cover, was submitted by Nate Diaz in his next fight. 

In its next chapter, Israel Adesanya fronted EA Sports UFC 4 before losing his middleweight title to Alex Pereira, while Alexander Volkanovski appeared on EA Sports UFC 5 before being knocked out by Ilia Topuria in his first fight after the game's release.

Curse Continues with Alex Pereira

Most recently, "Poatan" featured on the standard edition cover of EA Sports UFC 6 before falling to Ciryl Gane. Holloway, meanwhile, appears on the special edition cover of the same game, prompting fans to wonder whether the so-called curse has another chapter left to write.

Of course, neither the Drake Curse nor the EA Sports UFC cover curse has any scientific basis. They persist because sports fans love patterns, coincidences, and a good superstition. With Drake backing McGregor and Holloway carrying the EA Sports cover into UFC 329, the internet has found one more reason to debate which "curse" will blink first.