Our #MCM is the UFC newbie Themba Gorimbo whose heartwarming footage trended for the past week after he was stunned and close to tears after the rock surprise him. Born in the small Zimbabwean city of Masvingo, Gorimbo had the odds stacked against him at a young age when he lost both his parents by the time he was 13 years old.
Following his father’s death, Gorimbo sought desperate measures to provide for himself, and at the age of 16 he would often try to illegally mine diamonds which nearly resulted in the young Zimbabwean being killed by attack dogs after he was confronted by the police.
2000s droughts pushed Gorimbo to risk crossing the border into a much safer South Africa, which resulted in him being deported back to Zimbabwe.
In an interview with Kumite TV in 2020, Gorimbo described his treacherous journey to South Africa which sounds like something straight out of a movie
“It was just like a decision, either you want to be here, or you want to be there,” said Gorimbo.
“I didn’t have a passport. I came through the river. It was just one of those times you take the sacrifice, which is dangerous to do. A lot of people died. For a young guy I was 17 about to turn 18 it was very difficult. It just showed me what kind of person I was.
“I got deported on the same day I arrived in South Africa, and they deported me back to Zimbabwe. I got caught because I didn’t have a passport, they put me in a cell.
“When I got to the border, that’s where this thing of me never giving up in life, and everything started. I decided when they deported me and put me on the bus.
“They deported us around 4 to 5pm in the evening. By 7pm I was back in South Africa illegally. The second time was way harder because I almost got killed.
“People used to get killed in front of me while running from the police. But this was the first time someone actually held a knife on me. When you cross illegally into South Africa it’s not just the police you are running from, you are also running from criminals – they rob people crossing because they know you have money.
“I started MMA when I was 19, and it was about being cool and protecting myself. I also started as my cousins would pick on me as I was the smallest, so I thought I have to do something.
“I come from a fighting family. All my cousins, even my father before he died, and his brothers used to fight.
Gorimbo’s resilience and hard work in and outside of the cage made him one of the biggest MMA prospects in Africa. With more-and-more African MMA fighters dominating local promotions and becoming more present in America, the UFC decided to take a chance and signed him earlier this year.
“The Answer” arrived in America with just $7 in his bank account prior to his debut in the UFC. It’s often a common theme that when Gorimbo looks like his luck has run out, he often comes out on top and that’s exactly what happened.
