Daniel Cormier claims complacency could land Alex Pereira in trouble against Israel Adesanya - "The moment you get hit with that four ounce glove, you're like, 'Oh, this is real'"

Daniel Cormier recently weighed in on Alex Pereira's confidence going into his UFC 281 clash against Israel Adesanya. Taking into account Pereira's two previous kickboxing wins over Adesanya, Cormier was asked if 'Poatan' might be reckless in their third clash.

While 'DC' considers confidence a virtue, the former UFC double champ noted that MMA is a different sport than kickboxing. According to Cormier, getting hit with a four-ounce glove is bound to draw your reaction unlike any other glove. The 43-year-old said on the DC & RC show:

"I think it's a great thing to be confident but you also have to recognize, it's a different sport. The four-ounce gloves Ryan, it's thudding. Like I've sparred with my 12 ounces, with my 16 ounces, and you get hit and you are less aware because it doesn't hurt as bad. But the moment you get hit with that four ounce glove, you're like, 'Oh, this is real'... There's just so many differences in fighting inside the octagon."

Watch Cormier's comments below (12:40):

Adesanya has undoubtedly come a long way since his two kickboxing losses against Pereira, establishing his dominance over the UFC middleweight division. However, 'Poatan' is also lethal with MMA gloves, having already knocked out Adesanya with kickboxing gloves.

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Alex Pereira expects Israel Adesanya to be more aggresive than usual

Israel Adesanya recently claimed that beating Alex Pereira is more important to him than defending the middleweight title. However, 'Poatan' is not sold on that narrative.

According to the Brazilian, Adesanya would have fought him immediately after he signed with the UFC if 'The Last Stylelbender' was keen on beating him.

Pereira believes that Adesanya and his team never wanted to take the fight as they were well aware of the risks. That being said, 'Poatan' doesn't expect to win the fight merely based on his past record.

The 35-year-old told MMA Fighting podcast Trocação Franca:

"I can’t think about two fights we did, or the knockout. Every fight is different. I have to go there and do what I’ve trained and be better than him.”

Alex Pereira also believes that Adesanya will stray from usual defensive approach when they clash next weekend at UFC 281:

“There’s no way he fights the way he’s been fighting, he will have to be more aggressive. I’m ready for that. We’re talking MMA, we’re not talking kickboxing. I think he comes more aggressive, and that’s perfect for me.”

Check out the full episode below: