Anthony Smith pays tributes to the late and great Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson

Following the untimely death of one of the greatest knockout artists of all time, Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson, UFC title challenger Anthony Smith has paid tribute to a man he happily calls a friend and former teammate.

The 38-year-old was one of the most beloved and cherished competitors in the sport of mixed martial arts and made it incredibly hard for anybody to dislike him. After leaving the UFC, the heavy-hitter was set to cause problems in the Bellator cage. Unfortunately, he only got to make the walk once.

Showing his respect for the late Anthony Johnson, UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith shared an amusing between the two and stated that 'Rumble' was "your favorite fighter's favorite fighter":

"'Rumble' was one of my favorite fighters coming up and I think there a lot of people out there that'll say, 'Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson is your favorite fighter's favorite fighter.' I had a lot of respect for him. He memorably made fun of me to everyone all the time because he thought we were peers, but I always looked up to him... I told him one time, how much I looked up to him and he thought I was a huge nerd for that. I'm gonna miss him a lot, I really am."

Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson left his mark on the mixed martial arts world. Although he passed away way too young, he will always be remembered for some of the best moments he shared with us inside the octagon.

Check out Anthony Smith's touching tribute to his friend and former grappling partner in the video below.

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Just how good was Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson?

After juggling weights and failing to find a home for himself in the welterweight and middleweight divisions, Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson parted ways with the UFC and found himself most comfortable at 205lbs.

Returning to the octagon on the back of six straight wins, the NJCAA wrestler captured a decision win over the tough Phil Davis. He then scored two straight knockouts of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Alexander Gustafsson to earn himself a title shot.

Throughout the remainder of his UFC career, he picked up wins against Jimi Manuwa, Ryan Bader, and Glover Teixeira all by knockout. In what should be considered a fantastic run in the company, Johnson's only two losses since settling in the light heavyweight division came against MMA Hall-of-Famer Daniel Cormier.