Andrei Arlovski apologizes for 'he's dead, I'm alive' remark about Anthony Johnson

Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski has apologized for a widely criticized comment about his late opponent Anthony "Rumble" Johnson. In an interview with David Guttman, Arlovski said he was the real winner of their 2013 fight because "he's dead, I'm alive." After the clip went viral, Arlovski posted a statement on Instagram on Saturday, November 7, saying he never meant that Johnson's death was his victory.

What Arlovski said

Arlovski vs Johnson took place at World Series of Fighting 2 in 2013. Johnson won a unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring it 29-28, according to MMA Mania. Arlovski survived a near-finish at the end of the first round and said Johnson broke his jaw in two places in that round.

In the Guttman interview, Arlovski again disputed the result. "I still think I won that fight, but unfortunately judges gave to him victory," he said, according to MMA Fighting. "But I win anyway, he's dead, I'm alive."

Johnson died in November 2022 at the age of 38. MMA Fighting reports his cause of death was organ failure linked to non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer, and an autoimmune disease. He fought twice for the UFC light heavyweight title and lost both times to Daniel Cormier.

The apology

Arlovski, 47, says he has fought cancer three times himself and that his words came out wrong.

"Anthony beat me in the Octagon. That's a fact and I have nothing but respect for him as a fighter," Arlovski wrote. "When I said that I was still a winner because I'm alive today - YES!!! I NEVER meant that his passing was somehow my victory... That's not who I am and that's not what I believe."

The Belarusian also pointed to the language barrier. "English is my second language. Sometimes the words that come out of my mouth don't fully express what's in my heart or my head," he wrote. He said he takes responsibility for how the words sounded and apologized to anyone he hurt, "especially Anthony's family and loved ones."

He ended the statement with: "Anthony won our fight. Nothing will ever change that. Cancer is not a competition. Death is not a victory. LIFE is the GIFT. Rest in peace, Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson."

Not a clean apology

The statement was not entirely contrite. According to Fightful and MMA Mania, Arlovski opened the post by saying the episode was a lesson to check interviews before they go live and told his critics "F... You to ALL HATERS", accusing them of digging for something bad. In the statement itself he also said he was sorry only to "SMART PPL WHO CAN USE BRAINS" and noted it was the second time he has had to apologize for saying something wrong.

Where Arlovski's career stands

Arlovski last competed in February at BKFC Knuckle Mania 6, where he beat Ben Rothwell in a bare-knuckle boxing match to win the BKFC heavyweight title, according to MMA Fighting.