The cause of death has been revealed for Anthony Johnson, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight contender, who tragically passed away on Sunday morning at just 38 years old.
“There were hints that Johnson’s life-threatening health issues, which kept him from competing in Bellator, were potentially serious. However, his manager called it a month ago as a rumble for MMA fans to pray for him, and he has not only kept close to those issues but also continued competing for more than a year.”
After a long battle with illnesses, he died from organ failure. Johnson, who was suffering from an autoimmune disease and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, also known as lymphohistiocytosis cancer, according to Sports Yahoo!
Cancer can also be a cause, but HLH is typically seen in children and infants. HLH is a rare condition where cells build up in the liver and spleen, interfering with multiple functions in the body and damaging organs. It involves out-of-control production of white blood cells, affecting both lymphohistiocytosis and hemophagocytic conditions.
According to Kamaru Usman, a close associate of Johnson and former UFC Welterweight titleholder, Anthony was not inclined to disclose details about his illness.
He wants to be treated differently in these situations because he wants people to see him losing weight and going through all of this.
Daniel Cormier, after struggling with weight issues for years, finally found his place in the UFC’s 205-pound division as both a Middleweight and Welterweight. Over the course of a decade, he built a reputation as one of the sport’s top knockout artists, and it was sad for the MMA community to hear about the passing of “Rumble,” who was feared as the most dominant fighter in the sport.
Terrible news. Occasionally life doesn’t appear just. Rumble will be remembered. What an individual he was, from unexpected messages to inquiries during sorrow. Anthony Johnson was a compassionate individual, for a man who instilled fear in so many individuals. Cormier expressed on Twitter, “Find peace, my brother.”
Teixeira, the former Heavyweight Light champion, paid tribute to other fighters online by acknowledging Johnson’s impressive record of 23 victories in the first 12 rounds, with 13 of them being knockout wins.
Teixeira penned, “I feel incredibly sorrowful upon receiving this news.” “One of the most frightening and challenging adversaries I have ever encountered, and one of the kindest and most modest individuals I have ever encountered.” “I am devastated.” “I offer my condolences to his family.”
Former and current teammates also expressed their thoughts and emotions regarding his demise.
We’ll leave this post with one of the funnier moments from UFC Johnson’s time, involving a fake brawl during a press conference that Dana White trolled Jon Jones with. The prank worked like a charm, as White managed to reel in Cormier and Jones, who soon found themselves in a very real face-off.
May “Rumble” rest in peace.