Is Alex Pereira the No.1 P4P king over Islam Makhachev after UFC 307? Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo debate
Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo recently debated whether Alex Pereira should be placed above Islam Makhachev in the UFC's pound-for-pound (P4P) list after his impressive UFC 307 win.
'Poatan' successfully defended the light heavyweight title for the third time against Khalil Rountree Jr. via fourth-round TKO at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City last weekend. Pereira is now on a five-fight win streak, with his last four victories coming by way of knockout. He has a professional record of 12-2.
During a recent episode of the Pound 4 Pound podcast, Usman and Cejudo discussed Pereira's win and debated whether the Brazilian should be considered the UFC's P4P king after his latest title defense. Backing Pereira to replace Makhachev at the top of the P4P list, Usman said:
"Alex Pereira, I believe, right now is the pound-for-pound king... I do believe he's the pound-for-pound king because of the way he's able to fight and make his opponents fight and the way he's able to dispose of his opponents. I love Islam and his abilities. I think Islam, of course, has more tools in the shed, but for what you have to work with, Alex Pereira, I believe, is the pound-for-pound [No.1]."
Cejudo disagreed with his co-host and explained why Makhachev couldn't be replaced by Pereira at the moment. He said:
"I get what you're saying, but no. To me, it's still not it. We still gotta see if he gets [Magomed] Ankalaev... Does he fight? Of course. Is he a killer? Of course. But we have to see if he gets past a guy that's more likely to grapple. I'm not even sure if Ankalaev could bring in the grappling... I think, either way, I'd still put Islam up there."
Watch the full episode below:
Dana White lauds Alex Pereira's success in the UFC after UFC 307 win
Dana White was all praise for Alex Pereira after the Brazilian's incredible victory over Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307. Despite being tested in the first two rounds, Pereira found his footing and systematically picked his opponent apart enroute to a fourth-round TKO win.
During the post-fight press conference, the UFC CEO addressed the Brazilian's success in the promotion and lauded him for being an active fighter. Referring to Pereira's knockout record, White said:
"What this guy has done is unbelievable. And the way that he’s done it, this guy destroys everybody...This guy always wants to fight... It’s not like he’s 28 and he’s got this many fights [left]. But we’ll see how it all plays out." [H/t: MMA Junkie]
Watch the full UFC 307 post-fight presser below: