Ultimate Fighting Championship talent is sticking to his guns
of title or bust.
Surprising fans and media with a sudden announcement on Thursday,
UFC welterweight Themba
Gorimbo (14-7) has decided to hang up his gloves. The
Zimbabwe-born Gorimbo last competed mere weeks ago, dropping a
split call to Jonathan
Micallef to lose his third straight. Posting on Instagram giving his
thanks to supporters and farewell to the sport, Gorimbo declared
that if he could not be a champion, he would not continue.
Gorimbo made waves in the community by declaring after his first
UFC victory—a decision over Takashi
Sato in 2023—that he was flat broke, with a mere $7.49 in his
bank account. This garnered the attention of pro wrestling
superstar-turned-actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who explained
that hearing Gorimbo’s story reminded him of his own difficulties
coming up as an athlete, right down to seven-dollar similarity.
Johnson surprised Gorimbo by purchasing him a house in Miami, which
allowed Gorimbo to sleep somewhere other than his gym of MMA
Masters.
It’s not easy but I’ve tried
In his post on Instagram, Gorimbo
provided an image of his last defeat, while explaining his decision
to call it a day in active competition.
“Thank you to [the] UFC and everyone,” Gorimbo wrote. “I dared to
be someone and something and failed. Gave all I can in the sport
and I am walking away from the sport. My dream was to be a UFC
champion and if I cannot be that I am going to walk away from the
sport. It’s not easy but I’ve tried.”
He continued, not entirely closing the door on MMA as a whole,
“Maybe I will make a comeback as a coach or manager someday but for
now the focus will be my family. Thank you to everyone I’ve met on
the journey and everyone who has helped me along the journey. I am
officially retired as from MMA as an athlete. Thank you all.”
His self-proclaimed focus on family is a shift from
statements he made in January where he explained that he does
not have any contact with any family members in his home country.
He expressed that it was not simply that he ignored them, but
intentionally cut them out of his life to the point of blocking
their phone numbers and communications.
The welterweight did plenty of good while a UFC fighter, as he
helped dig and build water wells in his home city of Bikita. He
attempted to build a library as well, but later
alleged that corruption in the local government resulted in its
collapse.