Zimbabwe: MMA fighter Themba Gorimbo beated Pete Rodriguez in welterweight preliminary bout at Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Vegas 85 event in Las Vegas on Saturday, Feb 03, 2024.
The victory has put Gorimbo in further spotlight after his time in EFC. The fighter pulled out a superfast right-hand punch that dropped his opponent and followed up with some ground pounding before the fight was waved off via TKO in the opening minute.
Thembo Gorimbo is also known with the name ‘The Answer’ inside the UFC Octagon and was praised by the star fighter and actor Dwayne Johnson aka ‘The Rock’.
After the fight in which Gorimbo defeated Pete Rodriguez via TKO just in 32 seconds into round one of their welterweight bout, ‘The Rock’ has given his take on Themba Gorimbo’s incredible victory at UFC Vegas 85.
As per the sources, Gorimbo took his UFC record to 2-1 with an overall professional MMA record of 12-4. Notably, he made his UFC debut in Feb 2023 and secured his maiden UFC win in May 2023.
Considering the appreciation by Dwayne Johnson, Gorimbo unveiled that he just had $7 in his bank during his first UFC win.
After which the WWE legend Johnson subsequently reached out to the UFC fighter. He spoke about his past financial struggles, highlighting how he just had $7 to his name at a time when he suffered major setbacks in his professional football career.
Later on, he eventually ascended to tremendous heights of success as a WWE superstar and as an actor or producer in Hollywood industry.
Following this, the ‘Seven Bucks Productions’ founder Dwayne Johnson indicated that he felt a profound connection with Themba Gorimbo’s “$7 story”. After the UFC fight in May 2023 and the inspiring story of Gorimbo, The Rock promised to help him.
Themba Gorimbo accorded the majority of his fight price money to purchase a bush pump for his village rather than spending it on himself. Feeling connected with their similar hardships, The Rock gifted Gorimbo a fully-furnished house in Miami and received gratitude from him.
Post the UFC Vegas 85 fight, the MMA stalwart implied that he’s willing to go to any lengths to earn ‘UFC Welterweight Title’. Gorimbo’s next opponent and comeback date or next fight are unclear and yet to be revealed.