Two-time UFC title challenger Anthony Rumble Johnson died Sunday, Bellator MMA announced he was 38 years old.
Johnson had been battling an undisclosed illness for a long time and last month his manager Ali Abdelaziz asked fans to pray for the fighter.
“Rumble, he’s going through some health issues right now. It’s very sad,” Abdelaziz said during an ESPN interview in October. “I think, I want everybody to pray for him pray for Anthony. It’s not going well. He is very strong spiritually. But pray for him.
Last year, Anthony Rumble Johnson shared a post on social media about his illness
“Really wish I could go into detail about how ill I truly am,” Johnson wrote on Instagram. “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.”
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Daniel Cormier, who defeated Johnson in two UFC light heavyweight title fights, tweeted a tribute to him.
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“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,” Cormier 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 pic.twitter.com/HH2SO1dPj7
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) November 13, 2022
Johnson, who went 23-6 in MMA with 17 wins via KO, is best remembered for two separate stints with the UFC in 2007-12 and 2014-17. His first run saw him emerge as a power-hitting welterweight prospect, pushing his massive frame to the limit of a weight cut of 170 pounds. After weight management issues contributed to his exit from the UFC, he returned to a more natural progression at the 205-pound competition weight.
During that second stint, Johnson defeated Glover Teixeira, Ryan Bader, Alexander Gustafson, and Phil Davis, and earned two shots at the Light Heavyweight Championship, both losses to Cormier.
Johnson retired from MMA in 2017 and returned again in 2021
He retired from MMA in 2017 after his second loss to Cormier, but returned in 2021 and fought for Bellator, knocking out Jose Augusto in the second round of their light heavyweight World Grand Prix quarterfinal bout. An undisclosed illness forced Johnson to withdraw from his scheduled fight against Bellator light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov last October.
Outside the cage, Johnson was arrested several times. He served three years of probation in California in 2009 as part of a no-contest plea to a domestic violence charge. He was arrested in Florida in 2019 and charged with one count of battery/domestic battery. As part of the plea agreement, he completed a 12-hour anger management course. Last May, a day after beating Augusto in his final MMA fight, he was arrested at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut and charged with identity theft for allegedly using a stolen credit card.
Johnson’s link to the domestic violence report and arrest led to an indefinite UFC suspension in September 2014. While the promotion said in a statement that it was “using a third-party law firm to conduct a formal investigation. ” The ban was lifted that November.
