Johnny Walker defends former rival as next challenger to Alex Poatan's title

Alex Poatán is the current UFC light heavyweight champion / UFC Reproduction

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Recently, Alex Poatán caused controversy when published a message on social media which raised doubts about who his next opponent in the UFC would be. The light heavyweight champion (up to 93 kg) hinted that his next challenge may not be against Magomed Ankalayev, which divided opinions, as the Russian occupies the first position in the category ranking.

The current ninth place in the ranking, Johnny Walker, gave his opinion on who Poatan's next opponent should be. In an interview with YouTube channel The Schmo, Walker stated that Ankalaev deserves the next title shot. The Brazilian, who has already faced the Russian twice, highlighted the difficulty of facing him and reinforced the challenger's high technical level.

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“I think he (Poatan) should fight Ankalaev next. I fought Ankalaev twice, nobody wants to fight him, and I’ll probably fight him again soon. But I think he’s the number one contender right now,” Walker said.

Johnny Walker evaluates fights against Ankalaev and praises his rival's high level

With one loss and one no-contest fight on his record against Magomed Ankalayev, Johnny Walker Walker knows his opponent well. The Brazilian believes he had the upper hand in the fight until he made a mistake that allowed the Russian to turn the fight around. Walker also highlighted Ankalaev's ability to adjust his strategy and capitalize on opportunities.

“It’s not that hard. I was beating him the last two times. I won the first round, but this guy is at a very high level and if you make a mistake, he’ll finish you. I beat him in the first round, but in the second round, I let him put a little pressure on me. He just adjusted the distance and hit me. And that’s it. I’m happy because I’m among the best.” Johnny Walker.

With four wins and six losses in his last ten fights, Johnny Walker prepares to return to the octagon in UFC 311. The Brazilian will face the Uzbek Bogdan Guskov, currently ranked 14th in the light heavyweight rankings, in a fight scheduled for January 18th.