Themba Gorimbo

Themba Gorimbo (born January 23, 1991) is a Zimbabwean professional mixed martial artist, currently competing in the welterweight division of The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Early life
Gorimbo 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. He was bitten by German Shepherd dogs after he was caught digging for blood diamond illegally at the mines. At age 17, Gorimbo fled to South Africa, where he eventually discovered mixed martial arts. He later bought his own plane ticket to go to the United States to pursue his MMA career.

Ultimate Fighting Championship
Gorimbo was scheduled to make his promotional debut against Billy Goff on February 18, 2023 at UFC Fight Night 219. However, Goff withdrawal due to undisclosed reason and was replaced by A.J. Fletcher. He lost the fight via a guillotine choke in round two.

Gorimbo faced Takashi Sato on May 20, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 223. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Gorimbo was scheduled to face Kiefer Crosbie on February 3, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 235. However on January 5, it was announced that Crosbie pulled out due to an injury. He was replaced by Pete Rodriguez. He won the fight via technical knockout in round one.

Gorimbo faced Ramiz Brahimaj on May 18, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 241. He won the bout by unanimous decision.

Personal life
He became the first Zimbabwean to win a fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Philanthropy
In 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. 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.

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. He started with two boreholes. Fellow fighter Marlon Vera also donated to Themba's cause to building more boreholes.

He plans to build a solar-powered library in his hometown so that children can be able to study after hours.