Followed by the aftermath of UFC Vegas 73, Colby Covington was surprisingly one of the many names that got a shoutout. UFC welterweight Themba Gorimbo (11-4) couldn’t stop singing praises of ‘Chaos’ and how the latter helped him after Gorimbo moved to the United States.
The 32-year-old realizes that Colby might not be the most liked athlete on the UFC roster. However, the African fighter shed light on what a “great guy” the former welterweight interim title holder is. ‘The Answer’ kicked off UFC Fight Night: Mackenzie Dern vs Angela Hill by taking on Takashi Soto.
Themba Gorimbo is able to go out there and get the victory over Takashi Sato by decision (30-27 X3) #UFCFightNight224 #UFCVegas73 pic.twitter.com/vdYcvvmUvv
— ScottishProblem (@ScottishProble) May 20, 2023
Heading into the bout on May 20, Soto looked to avoid losing 4 fights in a row. His opponent, Gorimbo, was hunting for his first promotional victory. Fortunately for Themba, a solid performance earned him a unanimous decision win. During his post-fight interview, Themba detailed how he made the move to MMA Masters ahead of his fight with Takashi.
The said gym is home to many UFC fighters, including former title challenger Colby Covington. Settling in a foreign country comes with a cost, but Themba also faced the added pressure of having next to no money and a 0-1 UFC record. Gorimbo said, “I’ve been emotional. I’ve been broke. I came to America seven weeks ago without money.”
Opening up on ‘Chaos’ reaching out for help, Themba said, “Colby Covington, he’s such a great guy man. Colby Covington, sometimes he’d bring food for me at the gym. And people say what they wanna say about him. But that guy is a great man, man.”
He insinuated that a majority of the MMA community, fighters included, dislike Covington for his character, and that he is a different person behind the cameras. “You have to know him to kind of know him. Just like me, you have to know me to kind of know me, you know. At the end of the day, it’s just business,” Gorimbo said.
What do we know about Themba Gorimbo and his UFC career?
Being the only fighter in the UFC from Zimbabwe, Themba Gorimbo has already made a name for himself. Despite having only competed twice under the banner, Gorimbo has had fans talk about him since his debut. Gorimbo has showcased his power and grappling skills, which would only make for a fun run in the welterweight division.
Born in Masvingo, Zimbabwe, Themba has amassed a professional MMA record of 11-4. Out of those wins, Gorimbo has secured 1 win via knockout and 6 wins by submission. Four of those finishes have come in the very first round. Though he had a rough start in the Las Vegas-based promotion, Gorimbo has promised himself to never look back.
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Gorimbo faced AJ Fletcher in February of this year in his UFC debut. He went on to lose the contest via guillotine choke in the 2nd round. This loss led to his close friends and family turning on him, as per his comments from the post-fight presser. However, after tonight’s performance, Gorimbo declared he’ll hold the welterweight belt sooner than later.
As for his family, he keeps it under the cover, at least on social media. However, he did touch upon the subject during the post-fight presser. ‘The Answer‘ said, “They [his wife and kids] suffer the most when I lose. Guess what, I’m going back home with a bag full of Cheetos because my daughter loves Cheetos.”
While tonight’s win surely put the division on notice, Themba would most certainly need to rack up a bunch of wins before being anywhere near title contention. Do you think he holds the UFC gold one day? Let us know in the comments.