Themba Gorimbo Reveals Title Aspirations After Knockout Win Over Pete Rodriguez

Themba Gorimbo is aiming straight for the stars after his first stoppage win in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Gorimbo predicted a first round knockout win going into his third Octagon outing and delivered on it at UFC Fight Night 235. The South African sent Pete Rodriguez crashing to the canvas with a thunderous right hand and finished the bout with follow-up shots on the canvas before referee Herb Dean stepped in to wave off the fight 32 seconds into Round 1.

While he is currently unranked at welterweight, Gorimbo voiced his aspiration to win UFC gold by the end of the year. In addition to reigning champ Leon Edwards, “The Answer” mentioned surging Kazakh contender Shavkat Rakhmonov as potential title fight opponents.

“This is business. Mr. Sean Shelby, I’d like the biggest opportunities,” Gorimbo said in his post-fight interview. “I know that when we get out of here, probably I’m getting the biggest contract but I wanna fight the baddest guys. And I want to become the champion in 2024. I’m here to win and become the champ, in 2024. Whether it’s Leon or Rakhmonov, it does not matter, I’m going to beat them.”

Gorimbo has amassed quite a following for himself within a short period in the UFC. After getting submitted in his UFC debut, Gorimbo bounced back with a decision win over Takashi Sato, which also brought him to the limelight. “The Answer”, who grew up illegally mining diamonds in Zimbawe, revealed that he had $7 in his bank account leading up to his sophomore UFC outing. Gorimbo’s story resonated with Hollywood and WWE superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who brought him a house in Florida and also got the fighter a sponsorship deal with his ZOA Energy company. Gorimbo also mentioned “The Rock” after his win over Rodriguez on Saturday.