Former UFC, Bellator Fighter Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson Dies at Age 38

Anthony "Rumble" Johnson, a former MMA fighter, died on Sunday after a year long illness. The man was 38.

BellatorMMA @BellatorMMA

🙏 It is with great sadness we acknowledge the passing of Anthony “Rumble” Johnson.

The BELLATOR family is devastated by his untimely passing and we send our condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time. pic.twitter.com/TqZzN1wquY

The cause of death was organ failure due to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, which is a rare disorder of the immune system.

A number of current and former MMA fighters offered their sympathies on the social networking site.

Daniel Cormier @dc_mma

Rest Easy my brother. For a guy who struck fear in so many peoples heart Anthony Johnson was a caring person. From random text to check ins during loss. What a person he was, Rumble will be missed. Sometimes life doesn’t seem fair. Horrible news #RIP #Rumblesquad @Anthony_Rumble pic.twitter.com/HH2SO1dPj7

Michael Chiesa @MikeMav22

RIP Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. One of the most prolific KO artists our sport has ever seen. My prayers go out to his family and everyone affected by this tragedy. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 https://t.co/TYAu2wxn2u

Charles 'DoBronxs' Oliveira @CharlesDoBronxs

Rest in Peace Anthony Johnson

Descanse em paz Anthony Johnson

Herbert Burns @HerbertBurnsMMA

Life is precious, make sure to appreciate it!
RIP my friend 😭🙏🏽

Dana White said that he was always a good kid. He had a one-punch knockout power that no one else had. He was a decent person. My sympathies are with his family.

Johnson was a professional fighter for 10 years and was 13-6 in the UFC. He had two title shots in the UFC, but he was defeated in both of them by rear-naked chokes.

17 of his 23 professional victories were via knockout or TKO.

Big John McCarthy @JohnMcCarthyMMA

Crushed and devastated to learn that @Anthony_Rumble has passed away. AJ was one of the good guys, he was a great man with a huge heart. God Bless you AJ, I will miss you my brother. RIP Rumble

Johnson took a break from fighting for four years after his UFC career ended. He knocked out Jose Augusto Azevedo Barros at the promotion.

Johnson said that he was having health issues.

He wished he could go into detail about how sick he really was. I need as many prayers as I can get, and I will see you in 2022. I've never been afraid of anything in my life, but I have the support of friends and family.

Ali Abdelaziz said that Johnson's health had taken a turn for the worse.

He said that he was going through some health problems. It's very sad." Everyone should pray for him. Anthony isn't doing well, so please pray for him. He's very strong and prays for him.