UFC light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira successfully defended his title for the second time at UFC 303 against current top-ranked light heavyweight contender Jiri Prochazka. With his phenomenal performance, Pereira is receiving praise from all over the world. However, former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman doesn’t think Pereira is eligible for his best pound-for-pound list.

In a recent episode of his podcast “Pound 4 Pound” with Henry Cejudo, they discussed Alex Pereira’s rise in the UFC and his continuous winning streak. Cejudo claimed that the more Pereira stayed on his feet, the more chances he had of winning the fight, to which Usman agreed. But the former welterweight champion was not convinced that the Brazilian’s opponents were testing him enough.

“Alex Pereira did a phenomenal job with what he’s had to deal with. If too many people don’t consistently grab his leg and try to take him down, why would he be wrestling a lot, doing all the defense and all of these things? To show that ‘pound-for-pound’ style would translate across different divisions because, right now, let’s be honest, I don’t have him up there on the pound-for-pound list,” Kamaru Usman said.

Usman’s comments caught the attention of Alex Pereira’s fans, who are riding high with their idol’s wins and they criticized Pereira in the comment section on X.

Kamaru Usman criticized for controversial verdict on Pereira

Previously, Kamaru Usman praised Alex Pereira on occasions claiming that after the Brazilian’s debut in the UFC heavyweight division, everyone would be in trouble. But now, his remark isn’t liked by fans who disagree with Usman and cite Pereira’s victories in the middleweight and light heavyweight categories. “Double champ with multiple defenses, he’s definitely high up in the pound-for-pound convos lmao,” One fan commented.

Meanwhile, another fan speculated on jealousy from Kamaru Usman, who is still struggling in the middleweight division, stating, “Usman might be jealous.” One more fan joined in, “I’m sensing a lot of jealousy from other fighters.”

However, a netizen made a sensible comment targeting Pereira’s opponents for not using wrestling against him. “I see their point regarding a well-rounded fighter but it’s not his fault. He’s beaten the best contenders put in front of him.”

This line of comments continued, with some fans dragging Israel Adesanya into the discussion. They argued that Kamaru Usman’s strong friendship with Adesanya influenced his remark, suggesting, “He’s Izzy’s boy that’s why.”

Furthermore, a curious fan reversed the remark on Usman by suggesting Alex Pereira also has his pound-for-pound list. He commented, “Alex Pereira says he doesn’t have Kamaru Usman ‘high up there’ on his pound-for-pound list… CHAMA!”

Many comments supported Alex Pereira, considering him the GOAT regardless, indicating Pereira doesn’t need to prove anything to anybody.

As rumors swirl in the MMA world, there’s speculation about “Poatan” making his debut in the heavyweight division against Jon Jones. What’s your take on this? Let us know in the comments below.