Themba Takura Lawrence Gorimbo (born January 23, 1991) is a Zimbabwean professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
| Themba Gorimbo | |
|---|---|
| Born | Themba Takura Lawrence Gorimbo[1] January 23, 1991 Bikita, Masvingo, Zimbabwe |
| Other names | The Answer |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st) |
| Division | Welterweight (2013–present) Lightweight (2015) |
| Fighting out of | Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Team | MMA Masters |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 19 |
| Wins | 14 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| By submission | 6 |
| By decision | 6 |
| Losses | 5 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 3 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Early life
editGorimbo was born in Bikita, Zimbabwe.[2]
He lost his mom at the age of 12 and his dad at 13. He dropped out of school at the age of 16 to become a blood diamond smuggler in order to survive and take care of his younger brother.[3] He was bitten by German Shepherd dogs after he was caught digging for blood diamond illegally at the mines.[3] At age 17, Gorimbo fled to South Africa, where he eventually discovered mixed martial arts.[4] He later bought his own plane ticket to go to the United States to pursue his MMA career.[5]
Mixed martial arts career
editUltimate Fighting Championship
editGorimbo was scheduled to make his promotional debut against Billy Goff on February 18, 2023 at UFC Fight Night 219.[6] However, Goff withdrawal due to undisclosed reason and was replaced by A.J. Fletcher.[7] He lost the fight via a guillotine choke in round two.[8]
Gorimbo faced Takashi Sato on May 20, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 223. He won the fight via unanimous decision.[9]
Gorimbo was scheduled to face Kiefer Crosbie on February 3, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 235.[10] However on January 5, it was announced that Crosbie pulled out due to an injury.[11] He was replaced by Pete Rodriguez.[12] He won the fight via technical knockout in round one.[13]
Gorimbo faced Ramiz Brahimaj on May 18, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 241.[14] He won the bout by unanimous decision.[15]
Gorimbo faced Niko Price on October 12, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 244.[16] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[17]
Replacing Nick Diaz who withdrew for unknown reasons, Gorimbo faced Vicente Luque on December 7, 2024 at UFC 310.[18] Gorimbo lost the fight via an anaconda choke submission under one minute into the first round.[19]
Personal life
editHe became the first Zimbabwean to win a fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.[20]
Philanthropy
editIn a post match interview, after his first UFC win, Gorimbo mentioned that he did not have any money, that he had $7 in his account.[5] That caught the attention of former WWE and Hollywood star Dwayne Johnson who surprised Gorimbo at his gym. Touched by Themba's story of having $7 in his account, probably due to the fact that Johnson also had $7 after being dropped by the NFL, Johnson surprised Themba by buying him a house.[4]
Themba started a project of drilling boreholes in Bikita, the village he grew up in, in Zimbabwe. He received assistance from the UAE Warriors (a professional mixed martial arts organisation based in Abu Dhabi) including John Rogoveanu, a philanthropist.[20] He started with two boreholes.[21] Fellow fighter Marlon Vera also donated to Themba's cause to building more boreholes.[22]
He plans to build a solar-powered library in his hometown so that children can be able to study after hours.[23]
Championships and accomplishments
edit- Extreme Fighting Championship
- EFC Welterweight Champion (one time; former)
- One title defense
- EFC Welterweight Champion (one time; former)
- World MMA Awards
- 2023 Fighting Spirit of the Year for charity – building a water pump in Zimbabwe and putting others ahead of himself[24]
Mixed martial arts record
edit| 19 matches | 14 wins | 5 losses |
| By knockout | 2 | 1 |
| By submission | 6 | 3 |
| By decision | 6 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 14–5 | Vicente Luque | Technical Submission (anaconda choke) | UFC 310 | December 7, 2024 | 1 | 0:52 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 14–4 | Niko Price | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Royval vs. Taira | October 12, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 13–4 | Ramiz Brahimaj | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Murphy | May 18, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 12–4 | Pete Rodriguez | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs. Imavov | February 3, 2024 | 1 | 0:32 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 11–4 | Takashi Sato | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Hill | May 20, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 10–4 | A.J. Fletcher | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs. Blanchfield | February 18, 2023 | 2 | 1:37 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 10–3 | Julio Rafael Rodrigues | Decision (unanimous) | Fury FC 65 | June 26, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | New Orleans, Louisiana, United States | |
| Loss | 9–3 | Handesson Ferreira | Decision (unanimous) | UAE Warriors 24 | October 29, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| Win | 9–2 | Lyle Karam | Submission (triangle choke) | EFC 84 | March 14, 2020 | 2 | 2:06 | Pretoria, South Africa | Defended the EFC Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 8–2 | Luke Michael | TKO (punches) | EFC 82 | September 28, 2019 | 1 | 2:48 | Brakpan, South Africa | Won the vacant EFC Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 7–2 | José da Rocha Junior | Decision (unanimous) | EFC 79 | May 4, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Johannesburg, South Africa | |
| Loss | 6–2 | Dave Mazany | KO (punches) | EFC 63 | September 9, 2017 | 2 | 0:39 | Cape Town, South Africa | |
| Win | 6–1 | Joe Cummins | Decision (unanimous) | EFC 49 | May 13, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Return to Welterweight. |
| Loss | 5–1 | Leon Mynhardt | Submission (guillotine choke) | EFC 44 | October 3, 2015 | 2 | 1:03 | Johannesburg, South Africa | For the EFC Lightweight Championship. |
| Win | 5–0 | Alex Cheboub | Submission (guillotine choke) | EFC 37 | February 21, 2015 | 1 | 1:50 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Lightweight debut. |
| Win | 4–0 | Chaz Wasserman | Submission (brabo choke) | EFC 27 | February 27, 2014 | 2 | 4:31 | Gauteng, South Africa | |
| Win | 3–0 | Chimmy van Winkel | Submission (armbar) | EFC 26 | December 12, 2013 | 1 | 1:59 | Gauteng, South Africa | |
| Win | 2–0 | Juan Lubbe | Submission (armbar) | EFC 22 | August 15, 2013 | 1 | 3:48 | Gauteng, South Africa | |
| Win | 1–0 | Sydney Mokgolo | Submission (triangle choke) | Imagine FC 3 | June 15, 2013 | 2 | 1:50 | Gqeberha, South Africa | Welterweight debut. |
References
edit- ^ "Themba Gorimbo MMA Fighter Page". Tapology. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
- ^ UFC (2024-12-03). UFC 310 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 2. Retrieved 2024-12-04 – via YouTube. Reference at minute 8:40
- ^ a b Heck, Mike (2021-10-28). "We Got Next: Modestas Bukauskas, David Onama, and Themba Gorimbo". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
- ^ a b Raimondi, Marc (2024-02-02). "Welcome to the $7 club: How 'The Rock' changed a UFC fighter's life". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
- ^ a b Heck, Mike (2023-05-22). "Themba Gorimbo only had $7 in bank account ahead of UFC Vegas 73 win, praises 'great guy' Colby Covington". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
- ^ Jay Anderson (2022-11-01). "Billy Goff and Themba Gorimbo debut against each other at UFC's Feb. 18, 2023 event". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
- ^ Vipin Raghuwanshi (2022-12-29). "UFC Vegas 69: Bill Goff out, AJ Fletcher faces Themba Gorimbo". itnwwe.com. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
- ^ Bitter, Shawn (2023-02-18). "UFC Vegas 69: A.J. Fletcher Picks Up First UFC Win, Spoils Debut of Themba Gorimbo". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
- ^ Theodosi, Jamie (2023-05-20). "UFC Vegas 73: Gorimbo Grinds Out Unanimous Decision Win Over Takashi Sato". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
- ^ Sayan Nag (2023-11-15). "Themba Gorimbo slated to face Kiefer Crosbie at UFC event on Feb. 3". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
- ^ Nolan King and Farah Hannoun (2024-01-05). "Two more fighters withdraw from UFC Fight Night 235 in Las Vegas". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
- ^ Riddle, Mathew (2024-01-05). "UFC Fight Night 235 Takes a Hit as 2 Fighters Pulled From Card". Sports Illustrated MMA News, Analysis and More. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
- ^ Anderson, Jay (2024-02-03). "UFC Vegas 85: Themba Gorimbo Smashes Pete Rodriguez, Calls for "Biggest Opportunities"". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
- ^ Raghuwanshi, Vipin (2024-03-01). "Ramiz Brahimaj vs Themba Gorimbo Reported for May 18 UFC Event". www.itnwwe.com. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
- ^ Dewar, Val (2024-05-19). "UFC Vegas 92: Themba Gorimbo Outwrestles Wrestler Ramiz Brahimaj". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
- ^ Drake Riggs (2024-07-19). "Morning Report: Conor McGregor says Michael Chandler fight 'is rescheduled for the end of this calendar year' - Fight Announcements". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
- ^ Jay Anderson (2024-10-12). "UFC Vegas 98: Themba Gorimbo Cruises to Victory Over Niko Price". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
- ^ Andrew Ravens (2024-11-16). "Nick Diaz Out Of UFC 310, Themba Gorimbo Fills In To Fight Vicente Luque". mmanews.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
- ^ Mike Bohn (2024-12-07). "UFC 310 results: Vicente Luque chokes out Themba Gorimbo in 52 seconds, calls out Jorge Masvidal". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ a b Chikamhi, Eddie (2023-06-12). "Gorimbo wins over Dwayne Johnson 'The Rock'". The Herald.
- ^ Thakuri, Aaindri (2023-08-21). "UFC Fighter Helps Rural Area After Financial Aid From $800M Worth WWE Star The Rock". Inside Sport India. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
- ^ Chauhan, Prit (2023-09-30). "Dwayne Johnson's Philanthropic Gesture Receives 'Chito' Marlon Vera's Support As African UFC Star Shares Wholesome Update". EssentiallySports. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
- ^ Bedi, Harddit (2024-02-04). "UFC News: Backed by Dwayne Johnson, Themba Gorimbo Reveals Solar Powered Library Is in His Plans Through Auction- "Kids Can Go at Night"". EssentiallySports. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
- ^ Bryan Tucker (2023-12-14). "World MMA Awards 2023 Results". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ Sherdog.com. "Themba". Sherdog. Retrieved 2024-05-24.