Fans and fighters mourn the tragic passing of Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson
On Tuesday, November 13, Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson passed away. The MMA community is now mourning the loss.
News of the 38-year-old's death marked a sad day for MMA fans. Johnson was known to be battling a serious illness, but the details remained limited during his recovery.
Once his passing was officially announced, fans and fighters were in shock. Daniel Cormier, who faced Johnson twice in the UFC, wrote:
“Rest Easy my brother. For a guy who struck fear in so many peoples heart Anthony Johnson was a caring person. From random text to check ins during loss. What a person he was, Rumble will be missed. Sometimes life doesn’t seem fair. Horrible news #RIP #Rumblesquad @Anthony_Rumble”
Rest Easy my brother. For a guy who struck fear in so many peoples heart Anthony Johnson was a caring person. From random text to check ins during loss. What a person he was, Rumble will be missed. Sometimes life doesn’t seem fair. Horrible news #RIP #Rumblesquad @Anthony_Rumble https://t.co/HH2SO1dPj7
Welterweight veteran Michael Chiesa posted:
“RIP Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson. One of the most prolific KO artists our sport has ever seen. My prayers go out to his family and everyone affected by this tragedy.”
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RIP Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. One of the most prolific KO artists our sport has ever seen. My prayers go out to his family and everyone affected by this tragedy. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 twitter.com/mikemav22/stat…
“RIP Anthony Johnson. Such an incredible talent. Gone way too soon. Thanks for all the amazing fights.”
RIP Anthony Johnson. Such an incredible talent. Gone way too soon. Thanks for all the amazing fights.
“Anthony Johnson was Francis Ngannou before Francis Ngannou. Truly the craziest one punch power we may have ever seen. Dammit the memories he gave us man.”
Anthony Johnson was Francis Ngannou before Francis Ngannou. Truly the craziest one punch power we may have ever seen. Dammit the memories he gave us man.
Renowned MMA referee Marc Goddard also commented:
“RIP Anthony Johnson. Tragic.”
RIP Anthony Johnson. Tragic.
UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling also paid tribute, writing:
“Sad day for the MMA world. Still setting in for me that we lost another really good person. RIP Anthony Johnson”
Sad day for the MMA world. Still setting in for me that we lost another really good person. RIP Anthony Johnson
“RIP to Anthony Johnson. What a fighter he was, a true champion who had a truly positive impact on MMA.”
RIP to Anthony Johnson. What a fighter he was, a true champion who had a truly positive impact on MMA.
Former UFC lightweight king Charles Oliveira wrote:
“Rest in Peace Anthony Johnson Descanse em paz Anthony Johnson”
Rest in Peace Anthony Johnson
Descanse em paz Anthony Johnson
Johnson updated fans in September 2021 about the severity of his illness. Concern began to grow after his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, asked for prayers two weeks ago in an interview with Brett Okamoto.
Despite Abdelaziz’s update, the MMA community was not expecting such a devastating outcome so soon.
Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports was the first to report the specific details of Anthony Johnson's passing. Noting the cause of death, Iole's report stated:
“The cause of death was organ failure due to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, which is a rare disorder of the immune system.”
Remembering Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson
Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson had various unforgettable moments, including his 13-second knockout against Glover Teixeira.
The two-time UFC title challenger has wins over Dan Hardy, Andrei Arlovski, Phil Davis, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Alexander Gustafsson, and Ryan Bader. He last fought in a second-round knockout against Jose Augusto Azevedo in May 2021 in what was his Bellator debut.
With the recent passing of Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, here’s his KO over glover to celebrate him his career🙏🕊️ https://t.co/oqS3sxBuNB
Johnson will always be known for his vicious power and ability to shut the lights out on anyone at anytime.
He ended his UFC career with a 13-6 record. He initially retired following his failed title challenge in 2017, but returned under the Bellator banner, where he was scheduled to challenge for the light heavyweight gold last October prior to the discovery of his condition.
Horrible news:
Anthony “Rumble” Johnson passed away today. He was 38 years old.
Johnson had been battling an illness for quite some time.
One of the hardest hitters and most talented fighters in MMA history. Gone way too soon.
May he rest in peace. https://t.co/t5mVvRaNih