"Can someone take the mic away from him?" - Fans flame Anthony Smith for his latest analysis on Alex Pereira

Anthony Smith recently drew the ire of fans following his latest appraisal of Alex Pereira.

Pereira has seen remarkable success inside the octagon, securing titles in two divisions and triumphing over five former champions in just eight UFC bouts. He has excelled chiefly as a lethal striker, showcasing unmatched knockout ability while revealing minimal weaknesses.

'Poatan' secured a first-round knockout victory over Jamahal Hill, successfully defending his light heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 300 earlier this month.

During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, 'Lionheart' offered his evaluation of Pereira's performance, acknowledging his impressive execution in securing victory over Hill while also pointing out deficiencies in the Brazilian's wrestling and grappling skills. Smith said:

"He has a very limited skill set. He’s very, very, very dangerous at one thing and he’s mediocre at the rest. Instead of making it seem like I’m talking sh*t about him, I’m building him up. That’s amazing! That’s absolutely amazing that he’s able to do what he’s been able to do at this level for this amount of time. It’s impressive. I’m not talking sh*t about it. It’s impressive."

Check out Anthony Smith's comments below:

Fans expressed their discontent with Smith's critical comments on Pereira with an array of reactions.

One fan wrote:

"If you take away Anthony’s 19 losses he’s actually undefeated."

Another wrote:

"*Talks sh*t* Don’t get me wrong, I’m not talking sh*t, but *talks sh*t*"

Check out some more reactions below:

"Can someone take the mic away from him?"

Credits: @mmafighting on Instagram

Pereira and Smith have engaged in verbal sparring before, but Smith emphasizes that it's all professional. 'Poatan' labeled the former title contender as "washed up" following Smith's critique of his bout against Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291.

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Anthony Smith aspires to cross paths with Alex Pereira

Anthony Smith is preparing to face Vitor Petrino at UFC 301 on May 4 in Rio. 'Lionheart' envisions that if he ascends back into the upper ranks of the division, a showdown with Alex Pereira would be captivating for both fighters.

During a recent appearance on Submission Radio, the 35-year-old American reaffirmed his determination to step into the octagon with 'Poatan' soon:

"Yeah, he’s fun, and him and I have had our words back-and-forth. I don’t think that there’s any real beef there, but there’s definitely something there with him and I, where, given the opportunity, we both would jump on it. If I can put myself into a position where, holy sh*t, here, we’re on a little bit of a streak and things are going well, the timing works out, I think both of us would jump on that opportunity."

Check out Anthony Smith's comments below (24:40):