Mixed martial artist and UFC champion Anthony “Rumble” Johnson has passed away, according to fellow competitor Michael Chiesa. On Sunday afternoon, Chiesa tweeted a “rest in peace” message for Johnson, sparking alarm from fans and friends. He was 38 years old.
Chiesa wrote: “I hope what I’m hearing is not true” with a broken heart emoji on Twitter, and less than an hour later he seemed to announce Johnson’s death himself. He wrote: “RIP Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson. One of the most prolific KO artists our sport has ever seen. My prayers go out to this family and everyone affected by this tragedy.” Johnson has been dealing with some health issues in recent weeks, though details remain unclear.
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Johnson has struggled with some kind of unspecified illness for about a year, and it has forced him to pull out of some high-profile fights. Two weeks ago, his manager Ali Abdelaziz gave a health update to ESPN, but still did not reveal what exactly his diagnosis is. It’s not entirely clear if that struggle was related to Johnson’s death.
“Rumble, he’s going through some health problems right now,” Abdelaziz said. “Very sad. I want everybody to pray for him. Pray for Anthony, he’s not doing well. He’s very strong, spiritually, but pray for him.”
Johnson made a post about his health in his own words back in September of 2021 on his Instagram Story. He wrote: “Really wish I could go into detail about how ill I truly am. Just know I need as many prayers as I can get and I’ll see you in 2022 God willing… Never been this afraid of anything in my life but I’ve remained strong with the support of friends and family.”
Johnson was born in Dublin, Georgia and participated in wrestling throughout high school and college. He worked as a bouncer for a time before finding his way into MMA at the suggestion of friends. He made his UFC debut in 2007 by knocking out Chad Reiner, and quickly became a fan favorite. Johnson left the UFC briefly from 2012 to 2014, only to be suspended for legal issues upon his return. In 2017 Johnson announced his plan to retire from the sport, but in 2019 he seemed to change his mind.
Sadly, Johnson has been beset by mysterious health issues since then, and now fans are waiting for news of his passing to be confirmed by more sources. So far, the UFC has not issued an official statement.
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