Kamaru Usman stands by his view that Alex Pereira isn't highly ranked on his pound-for-pound list: "Don't be butthurt about it"
Alex Pereira can't seem to earn much respect from Kamaru Usman, no matter how much he accomplishes inside the octagon.
'The Nigerian Nightmare' recently offered his thoughts about 'Poatan's' standing in the pound-for-pound rankings, doubling down on his prior statements on the Brazilian.
He said as much on the latest episode of his Pound 4 Pound with Kamaru & Henry podcast alongside Henry Cejudo. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' remains unconvinced by Pereira's exploits, believing that he needs to demonstrate a more well-rounded skillset before he hails the Brazilian as a true great:
"Yes, you can stand and knock everybody out. Guys who aren't moving, guys who aren't shooting on you, guys who aren't testing your grappling, yes. But that doesn't mean you're number one pound-for-pound. So, don't be upset about that, don't be butthurt about it. If anything, show me you're pound-for-pound. Go out there, take the next guy down."
Check out Kamaru Usman criticizing Alex Pereira (10:04):
Usman has remained unimpressed with Pereira, having even predicted Jiří Procházka to beat him at UFC 303. That ultimately didn't come to fruition, as 'Poatan' authored his most dominant performance yet, dropping the former light heavyweight king in round one before knocking him out in round two.
Unfortunately, it appears that until Pereira showcases a well-rounded skillset by wrestling and grappling, Usman will not rank him highly on the pound-for-pound list.
Some have pointed that his remarks about Pereira mark an observation he never made for Israel Adesanya, despite 'The Last Stylebender' only ever operating as a striker.
Kamaru Usman isn't the only fighter to doubt Alex Pereira
Despite the unprecedented level of success Alex Pereira has enjoyed, which includes two-division championship status in the UFC, as well as defeating five different UFC champions, he has seemingly remained one of the most underestimated fighters on the promotion's rosters, by both fans and fellow fighters.
While Kamaru Usman is one, former light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith is another, having previously criticized the Brazilian by describing him as a less effective fighter at light heavyweight.
Thus far, that has proved to be untrue, as he has stopped all but one of his 205-pound opponents.