Andrei Arlovski is apologizing after making an appalling remark about the death of former opponent Anthony “Rumble” Johnson.
During a recent interview with David Guttman, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight champion reflected on his 2013 showdown with Johnson, who moved up to heavyweight and handed “The Pitbull” a unanimous decision loss.
“Yes, I fought Rumble Johnson — and obviously, no one punched harder than him,” Arlovski said. “The referee fell asleep in our fight, and he broke
my jaw in two places at the end of the first round. I fought two more rounds.
“Honestly, I still think that I won that fight, but unfortunately, the judges gave it to him,” Arlovski continued. “But I’m the winner anyway. He’s dead, I’m alive.”
Johnson won all three scorecards 29-28 at World Series of Fighting 2, nearly finishing Arlovski late in the opening round before the former UFC champion survived to hear the final bell.
“Rumble” passed away in November 2022 at 38 years old after a prolonged struggle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Not surprisingly, Arlovski’s awful remark generated immediate backlash online from just about everyone under the social media sun. The 47-year-old subsequently issued a lengthy statement attempting to explain what he meant.
“I never meant that his passing was somehow my victory,” Arlovski wrote. “That’s not who I am and that’s not what I believe.”
Arlovski revealed that he has battled cancer three times, explaining that those experiences changed his perspective on simply being alive. He also pointed to the language barrier while accepting responsibility for how his comments sounded.
“English is my second language,” Arlovski wrote. “Sometimes the words that come out of my mouth don’t fully express what’s in my heart or my head. I take responsibility for how my words sounded, and I’m truly sorry to anyone I hurt or offended, especially Anthony’s family and loved ones.”
The apology was not entirely graceful. Arlovski opened his statement by telling his “haters” to “F off” and accusing critics of digging for something negative. Nevertheless, he ultimately acknowledged that Johnson deserved his victory and insisted that he was never celebrating his former opponent’s death.
“Anthony won our fight. Nothing will ever change that,” Arlovski concluded. “Cancer is not a competition. Death is not a victory. Life is the gift. Rest in peace, Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson.”
