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Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson passed away on November 13 following a lengthy battle with health issues.
According to Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports, Johnson passed away due to organ failure from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, which is a rare disorder of the immune system.
Johnson finished his MMA career with a 23-6 record that included 17 knockout wins. Following a 2017 title fight loss to Daniel Cormier at UFC 210, Johnson walked away from the sport for four years before returning for one fight at Bellator 258.
In September 2021, it was announced that Johnson was forced to withdraw from the Bellator Light Heavyweight Grand Prix due to an undisclosed illness. Johnson noted that he was hoping to return to competition in 2022.
Following an update in May 2022, Johnson appeared to be on the road to recovery.
Sadly, Johnson was unable to return to competition as he tragically passed away at the age of 38. UFC president Dana White discussed Johnson's death, stating:
"He was always a great kid. 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."
Kamaru Usman discusses Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson's decision to keep his illness private
Kamaru Usman and Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson were close friends. Speaking to Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports, Usman discussed Johnson's decision to keep his illness private, comparing him to the late actor Chadwick Boseman:
"It was a little like Chadwick Boseman. Chadwick kept his issue private and we were all so shocked and surprised. Rumble would give you these nonchalant stories, and he was having dialysis on his kidneys but he never really told you fully what was going on."
Usman added:
"He didn't want to be treated differently. He didn't want people seeing him losing all this weight and going through these situations and treat him differently because of what was going on. He was such an incredible athlete."
Usman and Johnson both trained at the now-defunct Blackzilians gym from 2011 through 2017. The pair remained close until Johnson's death.
While he had the most success of his career in the light heavyweight division, Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson also competed as a welterweight, middleweight, and heavyweight.
Check out Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson's first-round knockout against Glover Teixeira below:
