Andrei Arlovski apologises over Anthony Johnson remark but hits out at "ALL HATERS"

"Death is not a victory," Arlovski wrote, saying he meant surviving cancer three times, not celebrating Johnson's passing.

Andrei Arlovski has apologised to the family of the late Anthony "Rumble" Johnson after the backlash over his remark that he was the real winner of their 2013 fight because he is still alive.

"Anthony won our fight. Nothing will ever change that. Cancer is not a competition. Death is not a victory," the former UFC heavyweight champion wrote in a statement on Instagram, as quoted by Bloody Elbow.

Arlovski, 47, said he had fought cancer three times himself. He wrote that he "NEVER meant that his passing was somehow my victory", and that going through cancer shows "how precious LIFE really is".

He said English was his second language and that he took "responsibility for how my words sounded". He was "truly sorry to anyone I hurt or offended", he wrote, before adding: "only SMART PPL WHO CAN USE BRAINS". He named Johnson's family and loved ones in particular.

The same statement took a swipe at his critics. "Before interview going live – I have to check it and F… You to ALL HATERS," Arlovski wrote, saying they were "digging to find something BAD".

Johnson beat Arlovski by unanimous decision at World Series of Fighting 2 in March 2013, and died of organ failure in November 2022, aged 38. Speaking to David Guttman, Arlovski had said: "Unfortunately, the judges gave him the victory. I'm the winner anyway. He's dead. I'm alive."

Joaquin Buckley, who says Johnson inspired him to become a knockout artist, has hit back at the remark, calling it "the lack of respect that they have for us".

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