Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson was undeniably one of the most respected and ferocious mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters of his generation.
Early Sunday afternoon, news began to circulate on social media that Johnson had passed away at the age of 38.
Respected MMA insider Ariel Helwani confirmed the news on Twitter.
Details on what led up to his death were sparse. There was talk of Johnson battling a mysterious illness for some time, but no actual information regarding what that illness was.
Johnson himself alluded to a dire medical condition on social media not too long ago:
RIP Rumble Johnson, he posted this on his IG September 2021 so he’s been fighting for a while. True warrior in and out the cage pic.twitter.com/wzA9bEyAQ8
— POATAN HANDS OF STONE (@poatanSZN) November 13, 2022
Fans also noticed his changing appearance in various photos and the obvious theories were formulated based on the limited evidence at hand:
Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, longtime #MMA veteran, has been dealing with health issues for the past year & there is a persistent *rumor* I hear that Anthony has cancer in some form.
Illness unconfirmed, but no question “Rumble” is sick and struggling right now. #MMATwitter #UFC pic.twitter.com/Vj7IYxx1Xs
— Talen Guzman (@TalenGuzman) October 28, 2022
Although he never won a major championship, Johnson competed for one twice. He finished his MMA career with a 23-6 mark, recording 17 victories by way of KO/TKO.
Along the way, Johnson handily beat the likes of Glover Teixeira, Ryan Bader, Alexander Gustafsson, and Phil Davis.
Fans took to social media this weekend to pay their respects:
RIP Anthony Rumble Johnson ❤️ pic.twitter.com/snyi6Siovo
— Out Of Context MMA (@oocmma) November 13, 2022
RIP Rumble. Thank you for the memories. pic.twitter.com/1cUdiUSWiB
— Super Fan🇮🇪 (@McGregorRousey) November 13, 2022
Rip an MMA Legend 🙏 “Rumble”
Anthony Johnson [1984 – 2022] pic.twitter.com/Q5qIovyhS6
— Mikey Thomas (@MikeyThomas1991) November 13, 2022
This has been a brutal year for MMA. Between various controversies involving the likes of Conor McGregor and various racial brouhahas – it was one thing after another.
This most recent tragedy is just the latest blow.
The photos speak for themselves. https://t.co/ZjiDI8Xh2L
— Game 7 (@game7__) November 13, 2022
Hopefully in the coming days a clearer picture of what happened to Johnson and the cause of his death will be revealed.
In the meantime, fans would be well-served to continue honoring his legacy in the way he likely would have wanted them to.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
