Follow usFormer UFC light-heavyweight title contender Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson has died on Sunday at the age of 38 after lengthy battles with illness.
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.
🚨On en sait plus sur les causes du terrible décès d’#AnthonyJohnson :
Il s’agit d’une insuffisance organique suite à un lymphone non-hodgkidien (cancer du système lymphatique) et une lymphohistiocytose hémophagocytaire.
🙏♥️🙏 #Rumble pic.twitter.com/Ghl51reBce
— ⚜️FREQUENCE MMA (@FqMMA) November 14, 2022
Johnosn’s manager Ali Abdelaziz had asked fans as recently as last month to “pray” for the fighter, but it was confirmed this evening that he lost his battle with illness.
“Rumble, he’s going through some health problems 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’s very strong, spiritually. But pray for him.”
Johnson went 13-6 in the UFC from 2007 through 2017 and compiled a 23-6 overall MMA record.
His most famous wins included beating world champions such as Glover Texeira and Ryan Bader, as well as defeating the likes of Jimi Manuwa and Alexander Gustafsson.
Johnosn’s most recent outing was a light-heavyweight Grand Prix bout with Jose Augusto Azevedo which he won by knockout in the second round back in May of 2021.
The ex-fighter was due to fight for the Bellator light-heavyweight title in September of last year but pulled out due to a health issue that persisted over the past year.
