FORMER UFC fighter Anthony Rumble Johnson tragically passed away at the age of 38.
Tributes poured in from across the sporting world after his death was confirmed on November 13, 2022.
Who was Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson?
Born in Dublin, Georgia, Johnson was born in 1984 and attended University on a wrestling scholarship.
Johnson became a junior college national wrestling champion.
Aged 20, he started working as bouncer until a friend suggested with his wrestling background to give mixed martial arts a go.
The Rumble, as he was affectionately known, made his UFC debut at UFC fight night 10 in 2006 – knocking out Chad Reiner thirteen seconds into the first round.
The quick knockout was made to look even better as Johnson took the fight on less than a weeks notice replacing injured Steve Bruno.
In the years to follow he became a knockout specialist and noted famous victories over ex-UFC light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira, Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, and Jimi Manuwa.
Johnson challenged for the light heavyweight belt in the UFC on two occasions, both times losing to all-time great Daniel Cormier.
What was Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson’s cause of death?
Johnson reportedly passed away after a long battle with illness.
According to Yahoo Sports, he had suffered organ failure due to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.
The latter is a rare disorder of the immune system where the body reacts inappropriately to a “trigger” – usually an infection.
It primarily affects infants and children, though it can impact people of any age.
Was Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson married and how many children did he have?
Despite his notoriety as a powerful fighter, Johnson was reportedly an engaging and soft-spoken man who always kept his private life private.
During his life he is not known to have wed or had any had children.
In the wake of his death, former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, described Johnson as “kind of like a turtle,” and said many people were unaware of his ill health till the last year of his life.
“He’d be in that shell most of the time, but then he’d open up and come out of the shell and show you who he was,” he told Yahoo Sports.
“He’d pop his head out, show you who he was and then go back in.”
How long was Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson in the UFC for?
Johnson competed in the UFC at welterweight, middleweight and light heavyweight, and was active in the sport until 2020.
He had ended his UFC career with an impressive record of 22 wins and six defeats.
A year later, Johnson came out of retirement to make his Bellator debut in 2021 after four years away from mixed martial arts.
At the time, he was scheduled to fight for the Bellator light-heavyweight title following a second round knockout victory over José Augusto Azevedo Barros.
However, he was forced to pull out due to his health.
As his death was announced in November 2022, tributes poured in for Johnson who was recognised for his contribution to mixed martial art sports.
American MMA fighter Michael Chiesa tweetedg: “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.”
Long time, MMA referee John McCarthy said: “AJ was one of the good guys,” McCarthy wrote. “He was a great man with a huge heart.”
While former rival, Daniel Cormier, added: “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.”
