Arlovski Apologizes After Remark About Rumble Johnson's Death

Andrei Arlovski has apologized for a line about the death of Anthony "Rumble" Johnson. It came in an interview, drew immediate backlash, and was followed by a long statement from the former UFC heavyweight champion.

A loss that ended on the scorecards

The two met in 2013 at World Series of Fighting 2. Johnson had moved up to heavyweight for the bout. All three judges scored it 29-28 for him. He came close to stopping Arlovski late in round one, but Arlovski lasted until the bell.

Johnson died in November 2022, aged 38, after a long struggle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The interview with David Guttman

Looking back on that night, Arlovski told David Guttman that nobody punched harder than Johnson. He said the referee fell asleep and that his jaw was broken in two places at the end of the first round. He fought two more rounds, he said, and he still believes he won.

Then came the line that caused the problem. "But I'm the winner anyway. He's dead, I'm alive."

Backlash and a two-part apology

The reaction online was immediate. Arlovski, who is 47, responded with a lengthy written message.

It did not open gently. He dismissed his critics with a curse and accused them of digging for something negative.

Then the tone changed. He wrote that he never meant Johnson's passing to be a victory for him, and that this is not who he is. He said he has fought cancer three times, and that this changed how he sees being alive.

He also pointed to the language barrier. English is his second language, he wrote, and his words sometimes fail to express what he feels. He took responsibility for how the comments sounded and said sorry to Johnson's family and loved ones.

The message ended with a concession that Johnson won their fight. "Cancer is not a competition," he wrote. He also said death is not a victory.

Source: MMA Mania