Newly crowned the best fighter of the year , Alex Poatan isn't resting on his laurels. The kickboxing specialist, who defended his title three times in 2024, continues to seek to evolve his game to become a more complete fighter. This time, the UFC light heavyweight champion (up to 93 kg) received tips from renowned wrestling coach Kenny Johnson.
Recently, Plinio Cruz, one of Poatan's coaches alongside Glover Teixeira , posted a video on Instagram where Alex is shown learning wrestling techniques under the watchful eyes of Johnson. In the training session, recorded at the Black House gym in California, Poatan practices variations of takedowns followed by feints.
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In addition to Alex Poatan , Kenny Johnson has trained several Brazilian champions, such as Anderson Silva , Lyoto Machida , José Aldo and Rodrigo Minotauro . The coach also made an appearance at UFC Tampa , held last Saturday (14), when he was in Piera Rodriguez 's corner , who won her duel against Josefine Knutsson.
Despite continuing to train intensely, Poatan still doesn't have a defined opponent for his next fight. However, Magomed Ankalaev is considered the likely challenger for the light heavyweight title, which makes the help of coach Johnson even more valuable.
Check out Alex Poatan's training with Kenny Johnson
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