Illness Forces Anthony Johnson Out of Bellator Light Heavyweight Grand Prix

An illness has forced Anthony Johnson to withdraw from his Bellator light heavyweight grand prix semifinal bout against Vadim Nemkov on Oct. 16.

Johnson will not remain in the tournament going forward. Nemkov vs. Johnson was slated to headline Bellator 268 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz., with the Russian’s 205-pound belt on the line. Nemkov is expected to remain on the card against an alternate opponent. MMAjunkie.com was first to report the news of Johnson’s withdrawal from the card.

Johnson later released a statement regarding his health issues.

“Really wish I could go into detail about how ill I truly am,” Johnson wrote on Instagram. “Just know I need as many prayers as I can get and I’ll see you in 2022 God willing... Never been this afraid of anything in my life but I’ve remained strong with the support of friends and family.”

“Rumble” returned to the cage following a four-year retirement at Bellator 258, where he defeated Jose Augusto Azevedo Barros via second-round knockout in the quarterfinals of the light heavyweight grand prix on May 7.

“Not asking for anything but prayers,” Johnson added in the caption of his post. “See you in 2022 hopefully. This is gonna be a battle and I’m gonna have to dig deeper than I ever have before. Love you all. NOT COVID.”

Bellator 269 will also include the other half of the light heavyweight bracket, as former 205-pound champ Ryan Bader squares off against fellow UFC veteran Corey Anderson.

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