Even after losing the light heavyweight title to Magomed Ankalaev in March, Alex Poatan continues to be the subject of "superfight" debates that never happened. Less than two months before his scheduled rematch against the Russian at UFC 320, the Brazilian was compared to Anthony Johnson , the former UFC "bogeyman," and ultimately diminished by Josh Thomson . The former fighter asserted that Poatan would be easily defeated in an imaginary fight against the late "Rumble."
Alex Poatan made UFC history by becoming the fastest fighter to win two titles in the organization. Even so, in Thomson's view, Johnson's immense strength and speed, combined with his wrestling, would be enough to "destroy" the Brazilian in any scenario.
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"I'm a huge Alex fan, but the Rumble would destroy him," Thomson wrote on his 'X' account. "Anthony was very fast and had much more power than anyone who ever knocked Alex out. Plus, if things weren't going well, he could still turn to wrestling," the former fighter added.
Thomson then highlighted that there was no room for balanced exchanges against Johnson.
"You didn't just jab Rumble... every time you landed a blow against him, you paid a heavy price. He knocked people out in a way they didn't even know where they were," he added.
Alex Poatan has only been knocked out once in professional MMA, in the rematch against Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title (up to 83,9 kg) at UFC 287 in April 2023.
Anthony Johnson, who passed away in November 2022 at the age of 38, remains on the list of the greatest knockout artists in UFC history. The American, who competed in the organization between 2007 and 2012, amassed 11 knockout victories in the octagon, securing third place on the all-time list, tied with Anderson Silva , Dustin Poirier , Max Holloway , Matt Brown, and Thiago Marreta.
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