Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) released a heartfelt tribute video to the late Anthony Johnson earlier today (Sat., Nov. 19, 2022) during the broadcast of UFC Vegas 65 live on ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Johnson, who is widely regarded as one of the best knockout artists in UFC history, unexpectedly passed away last Sunday after a battle with a cancer known as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, an auto-immune disease. Johnson reportedly dealt with organ failure due to his long-standing illnesses. The mixed martial arts (MMA) community has understandably found it difficult to deal with the passing of Johnson, especially considering he was just 38 years old.
On Saturday, UFC released an emotional tribute video for “Rumble” during the broadcast of UFC Vegas 65. The video was well put together, including some of the biggest Octagon moments in the career of Johnson.
Check it out in the above video player.
Johnson, who parted ways with UFC back in 2017, returned to competitive MMA in 2021 as a member of the Bellator MMA roster. “Rumble” ended up defeating Jose Augusto Azevedo at Bellator 258 via second-round knockout.
What will you remember the most from Johnson’s storied UFC career?