Anthony Johnson was an American mixed martial artist who was recognized for his career competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He was a multiple-time title challenger, before ending his career in a single fight with Bellator MMA.
He then fought in the welterweight and light heavyweight divisions. He was the number 1 ranked light heavyweight contender in official UFC rankings, and was ranked number 2 in the world by Sherdog and ESPN, before his retirement in April 2017.
He later came out of retirement in May 2021 and won his last fight by knockout. He was known by his nickname, Rumble, which he was given because of his one-punch knockout power. Sadly, he dies on 13 November, due to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.
What was Anthony Johnson Known For?
- Anthony Johnson was an MMA artist.
- He was known for his career time in the UFC.
Anthony Johnson Dies At 38 – Illness and Cause Of Death
Anthony Johnson died on 13th November 2022 (Sunday). He dies at 38. His death cause was due to Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Anthony had been dealing with a serious medical condition in 2021. He died due to organ failure from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, a rare immune disorder.
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is usually a treatable form of cancer with a survival rate of 73%. It is one of the more common kinds of cancer (4%), although its incidence and mortality rates are “strongly related to age” and are more frequently seen in people over the age of 65.
He posted a worrying message in September 2021 that he needed “as many prayers as I can get” and was in a battle that wasn’t COVID-19 related. Johnson then posted in May that he received information from a doctor that he had made “big improvements.”
Anthony Johnson (23-6) last saw action at Bellator 258 in May 2021 against José Augusto Azevedo, whom he knocked out in round two.
What was Anthony Johnson’s Ethnicity?
Anthony Johnson took birth on 6th March 1984. He was from Dublin, Georgia, the USA. His real name was Anthony Kewoa Johnson. He held American nationality and his ethnicity was African-American. For the last time, he celebrated his 38th birthday. His zodiac sign was Pisces and his religion was Christian.
Anthony was raised by his grandparents who formally adopted him at age 2. Early in life, his heroes were his grandfather and the football player Walter Payton. He had a younger brother.
Anthony went to West Laurens High School and then attended Lassen College in Susanville, California on a wrestling scholarship, and became a junior college national wrestling champion. After his college, he worked as a bouncer and entered mixed martial arts at age 20, after a friend suggested it due to his wrestling background.
Anthony Johnson Career Timeline
- Anthony made his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 10 against Chad Reiner.
- He next faced Rich Clementi at UFC 76 in his next fight.
- After that, he faced Tom Speer at UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Lauzon which he won.
- Later, he fights against Kevin Burns, at UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Irvin.
- He won the match against Kevin Burns at The Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale.
- Later, he fought Luigi Fioravanti at UFC Fight Night: Lauzon vs. Stephens on February 7, 2009.
- He faced Dan Hardy on March 26, 2011, at UFC Fight Night 24.
- He won the fight against Charlie Brenneman at UFC on Versus 6.
Titan Fighting Championships
- After he was released from the UFC, he fought fellow UFC veteran David Branch at Titan Fighting Championships 22.
- He made his light heavyweight debut at Titan Fighting Championships 24 against former King of the Cage Super Heavyweight Champion Esteves Jones. He won via TKO in just 51 seconds of the second round.
Independent promotions
- He fought Jake Rosholt at Xtreme Fight Night 9 and won the fight by TKO due to a head kick in the second round.
World Series of Fighting
- On 3rd November 2012, he faced Bellator veteran D.J. Linderman at WSOF 1 which he won.
- His next fight was against Andrei Arlovski on 23rd March 2013 at WSOF 2 which he won.
- He won the fight via knockout in the first round on 18th January 2014 against Mike Kyle.
Return to UFC
- Next, he signed a four-fight deal to return to the UFC.
- He next faced Antônio Rogério Nogueira in the co-main event on July 26, 2014, at UFC on Fox 12 where he won the fight via KO at just 44 seconds in the first round.
Suspension from UFC and return
- News surfaced on 19th September 2014 about Johnson being suspected of domestic violence against the mother of his two children.
- On 6th November 2014, the UFC lifted Johnson’s suspension after the civil case was dismissed, clearing him to fight.
- He fought Alexander Gustafsson on January 24, 2015, at UFC on Fox 14. He won the one-sided bout via TKO in the first round.
- He next faced Ryan Bader on January 30, 2016, at UFC on Fox 18 which he won.
- He defeated Teixeira by knockout 13 seconds into the first round and was awarded his fifth Performance of the Night bonus.
- In August 2019, 2 years after initially announcing his retirement, he confirmed that he would be re-entering the USADA testing pool.
Bellator MMA
- On 9th December 2020, it was announced that Johnson had parted ways with the UFC and had signed a multi-fight contract with Bellator MMA.
- In the semi-finals of the Grand Prix, he was scheduled to face the champion Vadim Nemkov, with the Bellator Light Heavyweight Championship on the line, on October 16, 2021 at Bellator 268.
- On September 18, it was announced that Anthony Johnson was forced to pull out of the bout and the tournament due to an unspecified illness.
- Regarding his MMA career, he fought 29 matches out of which he won 23 matches and lost 6 matches.
Awards and Achievements
Amateur wrestling
- National Junior College Athletic Association
- Junior College National Champion 174 lb – out of Lassen Community College (2004)
Mixed martial arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Josh Koscheck
- Knockout of the Night (Two times) vs. Kevin Burns and Charlie Brenneman
- Performance of the Night (Five times) vs. Antônio Rogério Nogueira, Alexander Gustafsson, Jimi Manuwa, Ryan Bader, and Glover Teixeira
Who was Anthony Johnson’s Girlfriend?
Anthony Johnson was an unmarried man. He dated a lot of women during his lifetime and he was assumed to be single at the time of his demise. His sexual orientation was straight. With his ex-girlfriend, he had two children. He spent a lot of time with his children.
How much was Anthony Johnson’s Net Worth?
Anthony Johnson was an MMA artist. The net worth of Anthony Johnson is estimated to have $4 Million at the time of his death. He was making his salary in the range of $400K-$1 Million. His main source of wealth was from his fighting career whereas his secondary source of wealth came from prize money, bonuses, contracts, and endorsement deals.
He also launched a CBD oil company, Competitive Body Development. In early 2019, he was appointed as the head of fighter relations for the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.
Anthony Johnson Height and Weight
Anthony Johnson stood at the height of 6 feet 2 inches or 1.88 in. His bodyweight was 93 Kg or 205 lbs. His hair color was black (semi-bald) and his eye color was black.
His waist size was 34 in and his biceps size was 18 in. He had inked a lot of tattoos on his body. His highest reach is 78 in (198 cm).
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