Former Ultimate Fighting Championship star Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson has passed away suddenly at the age of 38.
The 38-year-old mixed martial artist, who was a multiple-time title challenger at UFC, died on Sunday after a battle with an illness.
“I want everybody to pray for him.
Pray for Anthony. He’s not doing well. They’ve [Bellator and Scott Coker] been supporting him [Anthony Johnson]. You can not imagine how much support they’re giving them and they didn’t really have to,” Ali Abdelaziz, Johnson’s manager, said in an interview with ESPN back in October.
It was now confirmed that the lightweight fighting champ succumbed to his illness.
According to Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports, the fighter with a 23-6 MMA record died of organ failure after a battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, a severe systemic inflammatory syndrome.
“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,” UFC president Dana White said in a tribute to Johnson.
Close friend and UFC competitor Kamaru Usman added: “He was kind of like a turtle. He’d be in that shell most of the time, but then he’d open up and come out of the shell and show you who he was. He’d pop his head out, show you who he was and then go back in.
“You know, it was a little like Chadwick Boseman. Chadwick kept his issue private and we were all so shocked and surprised [when he died]. 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. He didn’t want to be treated differently.”
Our thoughts are with Johnson’s family and friends during this tragic time.
Recommended Video For You!
Drunk Driver Wakes Up From 10 Year Coma. Mortified When The Doctor Tells Him It’s All A Lie