Sadly, the UFC lost one of their fighters over this past weekend. Anthony “Rumble” Johnson is an MMA light heavyweight fighter whose record was 23-6 in his career. Unfortunately, he died at the age of 38 due to an internal illness, reported A.Bellator and Ariel Helwani for the UFC.
The BELLATOR family is deeply saddened by his unexpected death, and we extend our sympathies to his loved ones and friends during this challenging period, as mentioned in the announcement.
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. pic.twitter.com/t5mVvRaNih
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) November 13, 2022
He was proving to be one of the most exciting upcoming fighters throughout the UFC, however, to his demise the potential may go unknown for Johnson. During his career, he had 17 knockouts and six decisions. Unfortunately, he hinted at his illness in September of 2021 via Instagram.
“Not asking for anything but prayers 🙏🏾. See you in 2022 hopefully, this is gonna be a battle and I’m gonna have to dig deeper than I ever have before. Love you all!”
While this saddening news struck the UFC he did give many people a glimpse of hope during May via Instagram. In spite of the hope shared with the masses, in late October, Johnson’s manager spoke to ESPN. His manager announced that Johnson was “going through some health problems right now … he’s doing well.”
Anthony Johnson’s Impact on the UFC
Naturally, the news saddened many around the UFC community. Specifically, Daniel Cormier, a two-time Olympian and MMA fighter shred his thoughts on the passing of Johnson via Twitter.
“From random text to check-ins during loss,” Cormier Twitter. “He was an incredible person… life can be unfair at times.”
Johnson competed in the UFC from 2007 to 2017. He fought Cormier in his career twice, however, he fell short twice. Throughout his career, he competed in three weight classes and established a reputation as a knockout artist. While he retired in 2017, he returned back in 2021 to fight again. Sadly, his health problems began growing more and more at risk and it forced him to stop fighting again.
