Themba Gorimbo Vows to Prevail at UFC Fight Night 241 After Coach’s Mother Dies

The Ultimate Fighting Championship run for Themba Gorimbo has been an emotional rollercoaster.

Gorimbo (12-4) is scheduled to fight Ramiz Brahimaj (10-4) at UFC Fight Night 241 this weekend at the promotion’s Apex in Las Vegas. The Zimbabwean welterweight revealed that his wrestling coach from South Africa has been helping him with his training camp in the U.S. for the past eight weeks, despite the latter’s mother suffering from cancer. Shortly before UFC Fight Night 241 media day on Wednesday, his coach’s mother died.

Vowing to win for his coach, the 33-year-old said, “All I know is I’m going to win in spectacular fashion for my coach whose mother just died like two hours ago. He’s been here with me for eight weeks. He tells me his mother is sick with cancer. He never told me it was that bad. I just say to him, ‘Okay, after the fight, we go back to South Africa together.’ I didn’t have a plan to go out there, but I was gonna go with him to see his mother. And his mother just died three hours…two hours ago, man, and I’m going to win for him.”

Gorimbo’s journey to becoming a UFC fighter had its fair share of obstacles. Orphaned at the age of 13, Gorimbo smuggled blood diamonds in rural Zimbabwe before fleeing to South Africa, where he discovered mixed martial arts. While Gorimbo made it to the UFC after a decade-long pro career, “The Answer” was still struggling. After earning his first UFC win over Takashi Sato in May 2023, Gorimbo revealed that he had $7 left in his bank account leading up to the fight. The story resonated with WWE and Hollywood superstar Dwayne Johnson, who once had the exact same amount of money left after being released from the Canadian Football League.

“The Rock” bought a house in Miami for Gorimbo, who used to sleep on a couch at the MMA Masters gym until then. Gorimbo’s connection with Johnson also helped skyrocket the Zimbabwean to fame. However, Gorimbo believes that his story has somewhat overshadowed his achievements as a fighter. “The Answer” reminded fans that he earned his spot with the promotion from years of hard work and sacrifice.

“I didn’t get here in the UFC with hype,” he stated. “I got to the UFC through my sacrifice and hard work and dedication, prayers to God. And I sacrificed to be here, not hype. Yes of course, what happened in my life, the blessing with Dwayne Johnson happened, but it seems like people overlook me because of that story. They overlook me and they focus on the Dwayne Johnson thing. Even Ramiz, I saw his first post when first heard [of] had this fight [booked], he said, ‘I never liked ‘The Rock’ anyway.’ And that just tells me something I need to know. Guys forget they’re fighting me, not ‘The Rock.’ And when it comes to me, I’m hungry, I’m here to succeed. And no matter how good my life is, I know my purpose, it’s greater than I am.”