Former UFC, Bellator Fighter Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson Dies at Age 38
Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRT
Featured Columnist IVNovember 13, 2022
Former MMA fighter Anthony "Rumble" Johnson died Sunday after a yearlong illness, a Bellator spokesperson told the Associated Press. He was 38.
BellatorMMA @BellatorMMA🙏 It is with great sadness we acknowledge the passing of Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. <br><br>The BELLATOR family is devastated by his untimely passing and we send our condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time. <a href="https://t.co/TqZzN1wquY">pic.twitter.com/TqZzN1wquY</a>
According to Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports, "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."
A number of current and former MMA fighters offered their condolences on Twitter after learning of the news:
Daniel Cormier @dc_mmaRest 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 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIP?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RIP</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rumblesquad?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Rumblesquad</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Anthony_Rumble?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Anthony_Rumble</a> <a href="https://t.co/HH2SO1dPj7">pic.twitter.com/HH2SO1dPj7</a>
"He was always a great kid," UFC president Dana White added, per Iole. "He was always in fun fights, and he had that one-punch KO power that not many people ever had. He was a good human being. I send my condolences to his family."
Johnson put up a 23-6 overall record as a professional fighter and was 13-6 in a 10-year run in the UFC between 2007 and 2017. He had two title shots for the UFC light heavyweight title, though Daniel Cormier bested him both times, submitting him in each fight via rear-naked choke.
He was a fearsome striker, with 17 of his 23 professional wins coming via knockout or TKO.
After his UFC career, Johnson stepped away from fighting for four years before returning with Bellator. He only fought once for the promotion, knocking out Jose Augusto Azevedo Barros at Bellator 258 in May 2021.
In September 2021, Johnson announced that he was having health issues.
"Really wish I could go into detail about how ill I truly am," he wrote on Instagram at the time. "Just know I need as many prayers as I can get and I'll see you in 2022 God willing. Never been this afraid of anything in my life but I've remained strong with the support of friends and family."
In late October, his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, said Johnson's health had taken a turn for the worst.
"Rumble, he's going through some health problems right now," he told ESPN. "Very sad. I want everybody to pray for him. Pray for Anthony; he's not doing well. He's very strong, spiritually, but pray for him."