Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, an MMA gentle heavyweight fighter who went 23-6 in his profession, has died. He was 38.
Bellator MMA introduced Johnson’s loss of life on social media on Sunday. A Bellator spokesman stated Johnson had been unwell for greater than a 12 months.
“The BELLATOR family is devastated by his untimely passing and we send our condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time,” the announcement said.
During his profession, Johnson had 17 knockouts and 6 selections. His final struggle was in May 2021.
In September 2021, Johnson posted on Instagram that he wanted “as many prayers as I can get” and was in a battle, noting it was “NOT COVID.” On May 17, Johnson posted on Instagram that he had gotten excellent news from his physician, saying there have been “big improvements.”
But in late October, Johnson’s supervisor spoke to ESPN, saying that Johnson was “going via some well being issues proper now … he is not doing properly.”
Daniel Cormier, a two-time Olympian and MMA fighter, expressed his condolences online, saying “for a guy who struck fear into so many peoples (sic) heart (he) was a caring person.”
“From random text to check ins during loss,” Cormier stated. “What a person he was … sometimes life doesn’t seem fair.”
Johnson fought within the UFC from 2007 to 2017, most notably dropping twice to Daniel Cormier in gentle heavyweight title bouts. Johnson competed in three weight courses for the UFC and established a fame as a robust puncher and a fan favorite for his aggressive, striking-based method in MMA.
Johnson retired in 2017 from the UFC after his second title loss to Cormier, however he returned to competitors with Bellator for one bout in 2021 earlier than his well being issues worsened.