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Daniel Cormier can now personally attest to the kind of power Alex Pereira generates.
Just days ahead of UFC 295 where Pereira will attempt to claim the vacant light heavyweight title, the Brazilian played a prank on Cormier before displaying the kind of devastation he can wreak with his leg kicks. First things first, Pereira wanted to show Cormier how he could handle a golf club, which made the former two-division UFC champion rather nervous as he stood behind him.
“It was fun,” Pereira said about the video he posted on Instagram. “Because at first, he didn’t want to do it. I had to convince him but when he looked forward, obviously I was never going to swing the golf club on him but I saw a video on Instagram earlier in the day so I did it to him. It was really fun.”
As far as the leg kicks, Cormier asked Pereira to demonstrate how he threw one of his most effective weapons while attempting to chop down his opponents. Of course, Pereira is well-versed in every striking technique as a former two-division champion in kickboxing while also just recently becoming the third person to ever get inducted into the GLORY Hall of Fame.
The leg kicks didn’t come at full speed but Cormier requested 25-percent power from Pereira — and it’s safe to say he’s not interested in finding out what 100-percent feels like.
“I’ve seen it time and time again, I had to know what it felt like so I asked ‘Poaton’ to give me a couple of the little leg kicks,” Cormier said. “They are as painful as they look.”
When it comes to his fight on Saturday, Pereira will compete in his third title fight since joining the UFC roster just two years ago. He already claimed the middleweight championship with a knockout over longtime rival Israel Adesanya and now he’ll seek a second belt in his fight with Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295.
With only 10 fights on his entire MMA resume and far less experience than most fighters at this level Pereira has accomplished a lot in very little time, which definitely earns praise from Cormier.
“I tip my hat to Alex Pereira more than most any fighter in the UFC,” Cormier told MMA Fighting. “Because this guy has less than 10 fights in his career, 10 at most, he’s been a UFC middleweight champion and now he’s fighting for the light heavyweight championship. He has no experience. He does not know this game. He knows how to kickbox and he’s parlayed that into three title fights already. Three title fights in a number of years! He made his [UFC] debut in New York three years ago!
“So three years, now you’re telling me this guy is fighting for the championship for the third time? So in three years, he’s essentially averaging a championship fight once a year even if he hasn’t been the champion. That is to be commended for a guy that has no background in wrestling. No background in grappling and was just a kickboxer. I have an insane amount of respect for this dude.”
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