'Was the scariest & nicest fighter': Tributes pour in for late UFC fighter Anthony Johnson

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) star Anthony Johnson sadly passed away at the age of 38 on Sunday, November 13, following a long battle with illness. Johnson passed away due to his organs failing following his battle with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. After fans received this disappointing news, several of them took to social media and paid their tributes to the former UFC star.

Tributes pour in for Anthony Johnson

Anthony Johnson's staggering achievements in UFC

Anthony Johnson, who was most famous for his knockout punches, was once also the number one ranked light heavyweight fighter as per UFC's official ranking. He competed in his last career feud against José Augusto, who he beat by knockout, before eventually announcing his retirement in 2021. During the course of his career, Johnson took part in a total of 29 matches, out of which he won 23. A staggering 17 of those victories came via knockout.

From entering UFC in 2007 as one of the upcoming stars to ending his career as one of the best fighters in the world, Johnson will undoubtedly go down as a legend of the sport. Johnson, who had two stints at UFC from 2007-12 and from 2014-17, became a top star in the sport during his second stint. He not only had two cracks at the light heavyweight championship but also defeated some of the best fighters in the sport such as Glover Teixeira, Ryan Bader, Alexander Gustafsson and Phil Davis.

Anthony Johnson's old post goes viral

Shortly after the sad news of Anthony Johnson's death came out, an old post from the former UFC fighter has gone viral on social media. In a heartbreaking post released in 2021, Johnson updated his fans about his frightening illness. His post read, "Really wish I could go into detail about how I truly am. Just know I need as many prayers as I can get and I will 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."