Home
MMA fighters have always had a number of superstitions associated with them- the Drake Curse, for instance, and the Embedded Haircut Curse. Even the EA Sports Curse. Now it seems that fans have appended one more to the list with regards to the Nina Curse. As Alex Pereira prepares to fight Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 next Friday, fans are buzzing about a new training clip featuring social media personality Nina-Marie Daniele. Is this a real curse, though, or just yet another bout-week paranoia?
And when did this whole thing called "the Nina Curse" begin?
It generated all this excitement on the so-called "Nina Curse" after the injury withdrawal of Arman Tsarukyan from the UFC 311 main event against Islam Makhachev. In fact, a couple of days before his impending fight, he shared a playful training video with Nina, and a few fans speculated that such session had worsened the back condition that would eventually sideline him.
The injury, however, came not because of filming with Nina but occurred on a stationary bike the night before the fight, Tsarukyan said. That said, the timing of Nina's new video with Pereira just brought the whole curse issue back into the limelight, with fans joking that maybe they should blame Nina for any potential downfalls.
Fans' Reactions to the 'Nina Curse'
Fans got on to the business of airing their views online. A quote read: "If Alex loses, blame it on Nina," while another just left it as "The Nina curse." Others, like this user, just hinted superstition without specifically naming it: "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
But that was not all; there was this one anxious fan commenting, "He better not pull out like Arman did." Most of the comments were tongue-in-cheek, but that captures the serious tension concerning Pereira's forthcoming fight.
Pereira's Preparation for Ankalaev
Despite all the gossip, the reigning light heavyweight champion is not bothered by the rumors surrounding the Nina Curse as he looks forward to his title defense against Ankalaev on March 8 during UFC 313 in Las Vegas. Yet, this recent trip to Sydney, Australia, raised some eyebrows among fans and analysts alike, Daniel Cormier included.
Pereira had journeyed to Sydney to corner Sean Strickland for his fight against Dricus Du Plessis on UFC 312. Timing didn't seem right to some, however, Pereira insisted he already had commitments in Australia and thus this trip miraculously didn't interfere with preparation.
"People were saying, 'Why go if you don't even speak English?' But it's more than words. We vibe well together, and we're in the same game," Pereira told Bloody Elbow. He also recounted how he had beaten Israel Adesanya in 2016 in an even more turbulent activity schedule, justifying his ability to handle the pressure.
Serious Sparring and Training Setbacks
Indeed, Pereira has been setting his sights on this match, particularly hammering at his ground game with coach and former UFC champion Glover Teixeira. While he knows grappling will be necessary against Ankalaev, Pereira hasn't really strayed from his roots in kickboxing.
Not to be outdone, however, is a video of Pereira, which has just been released, showing him getting knocked out.
