Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson, MMA Playoffs Phenomenon, Dies at 38

Anthony “Rumble” Johnsonan MMA fighter known for his stellar knockout record, has died at age 38.

Johnson’s death was confirmed by several prominent figures in the MMA world on social media on Sunday. His cause of death was organ failure due to non-Hodgkin lymphoma and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, a rare immune system disorder, according to Yahoo Sports.

RIP Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. One of the most prolific KO artists our sport has ever seen. My prayers are with his family and all those affected by this tragedy. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 https://t.co/TYAu2wxn2u

—Michael Chiesa (@MikeMav22) November 13, 2022

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Johnson competed in the UFC in the welterweight, middle, and light heavyweight divisions. He known as one of the most feared punchers in the sport. He was 3-0 when he made his UFC debut on June 12, 2007, knocking out Chad Reiner in just 13 seconds in Hollywood, Florida.

“Rumble” scored 17 of his 23 MMA victories by knockout.

MMA Daniel Cormierwho faced Rumble in the Octagon shared a special message about his former opponent.

“Rest easy my brother. For a guy who struck fear into the hearts of so many people, Anthony Johnson was a loving person. From random text to logs during loss. What a person he was, Rumble will be missed. Sometimes life doesn’t seem fair. Horrible news.

Rest easy my brother. For a guy who struck fear into the hearts of so many people, Anthony Johnson was a loving person. From random text to logs 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

Anthony “Rumble” Johnson revealed illness in 2021

Johnson last fought at Bellator 258 in May 2021, scoring a knockout victory over José Augusto Azevedo. That earned him a light heavyweight title shot against Vadim Nemkov the following month at Bellator 268, but Johnson withdrew with what was described as an undisclosed illness.

At the time, Johnson shared on Instagram how he wished he could go into detail about how sick he “really” felt. He asked for prayers and support from friends and family.

He was 38 years old when he died. May he rest in peace.

23 wins. 17 KO/TKO. RIP Rumble. pic.twitter.com/NBzEEtmrMx

—FullCombat (@FullCombat_) November 13, 2022