Anthony Johnson, a man who dominated MMA across multiple weight classes
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Anthony Johnson, Image Credit: Daily Express
In mixed martial arts, seeing fighters dominate in one weight class is pretty common. However, not many mark their presence across multiple weight divisions. One man who managed to make his presence felt in not one, but four separate weight classes was Anthony Johnson. During his MMA career, Johnson competed in the Welterweight, Middleweight, Light Heavyweight, and Heavyweight divisions. Despite never laying his hands on UFC gold, ‘Rumble’ was one of the most feared fighters in whichever weight class he fought in.
Born on March 6th, 1984, in Georgia USA, Johnson was raised by his grandparents from the tender age of two. Hailing from a family with an athletic background, young Johnson attended Lassen College in California on a wrestling scholarship. ‘Rumble’ realized his dream in college as he went on to become a national wrestling champion. Once done with his education, Johnson worked as a bouncer until a friend suggested he take up mixed martial arts.
An avid wrestler back in college, the transition to MMA was easy for the gifted Anthony Johnson. Only three fights into his professional MMA career, Johnson was already called upon to compete in the UFC. ‘Rumble’ made his promotional debut against Chad Reiner, and won the bout via TKO in just 13 seconds of round one. After experiencing weight issues and mixed results at 170-pounds, Johnson moved up to middleweight.
In his debut at 185-pounds, Johnson faced MMA veteran Vitor Belfort. Ahead of the bout, ‘Rumble’ missed weight and lost the fight via rear-naked-choke. Due to multiple weight misses, Johnson was removed from the UFC, and the fighter later played his trade for Titan Fighting Championship, where he once again missed weight in his debut victory against David Branch. This weight miss made ‘Rumble’ move up to light heavyweight, and he once also beat Andrei Arlovski at Heavyweight.
After a brief career in other promotions, Johnson returned to compete in the UFC at 205-pounds. At light heavyweight, fans saw the best of Anthony Johnson. In his second run with the UFC, the late fighter scored memorable wins over the likes of Glover Teixeira, Ryan Bader, and Jimi Manuwa. At 205, Johnson challenged Daniel Cormier twice for the vacant UFC light heavyweight title. However, he was unsuccessful in his bid, and after his second failed attempt, Johnson announced his retirement from the sport. However, the retirement did not last long.
Four years after his last fight in the UFC, ‘Rumble’ returned to Bellator and fought the young José Augusto Azevedo. Johnson won the bout via KO in round two. Later, he was scheduled to face Bellator Light Heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov for the title but had to pull out citing medical reasons. Even though Johnson hoped to return to competitive action, the fighter tragically passed away on November 13th, 2022, due to organ failure.
Soon after the news of ‘Rumble’s’ death had been confirmed, Daniel Cormier, who faced him twice offered his condolences. In a tweet, Cormier mentioned that even though Johnson was one of the most feared individuals in the UFC, his personality in the real world was contrary to it. Johnson came out to be an extremely caring individual. “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,” wrote Cormier.
To sum up his MMA career, Johnson was one of the most terrifying fighters in the UFC. Unlike many fighters in the higher-weight classes, Anthony Johnson displayed tremendous movement. Despite being a wrestler since childhood, ‘Rumble’ did not use much of it, and solely finished fights with the immense power in his hands. While Johnson might not be alive anymore, MMA fans will always remember the legacy he set in stone
Related: Former UFC title challenger Anthony Johnson passes away at the age of 38
How will the MMA world remember Anthony Johnson?
When social media was flooded with the news of Anthony Johnson’s death, not many could believe it. However, it was later confirmed that Johnson had passed away after battling with an illness for a long time. A legend in the sport, Johnson’s death has affected many in the mixed martial arts community. Even some of his fiercest rivals described Johnson’s kind heart and amazing nature.
Not only Cormier, but Johnson’s former boss and UFC President Dana White too spoke about his nature. White, who has seen thousands of fighters in his career also acknowledged the one-punch KO power Johnson possessed. In a statement to Kevin Iole from Yahoo Sports, White said, “He was always a great kid. He was always in fun fights and he had that one-punch KO power that not many people ever had. He was a good human being. I send my condolences to his family.” [H/T Yahoo Sports]
Kamaru Usman, who was a long-time training partner and close friend of Johnson opened the lid on the fighter’s untimely passing. The former UFC welterweight champion compared Anthony Johnson to Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman. He said, “It was a little like Chadwick Boseman. Chadwick kept his issue private and we were all so shocked. Rumble would give you these nonchalant stories, and he was having dialysis on his kidneys but he never really told you fully what was going on. He didn’t want to be treated differently. He didn’t want people to see him losing all this weight and going through these situations and treat him differently because of what was going on. He was such an incredible athlete.”
From Usman’s statements, one can only imagine the greatness of Anthony Johnson. Despite dealing with serious health issues, Johnson never complained and put up a brave fight against it. His ability to stay positive in one of the most difficult situations will always make fans think of Johnson as a warrior, which he truly was. Rest in Peace Anthony Johnson, You will always be remembered as a legend.
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Varun Anand Bhat
(106 Articles Published)