Themba Gorimbo has gone from working in the mines of Zimbabwe to a rising star in the welterweight division of the UFC. ‘The Answer’ lost his family at the age of thirteen, which forced him to fend for himself. In the absence of many opportunities to earn a living and left to fend for himself, he would go to work in the mines.

While his early life was challenging, the Zimbabwean has credited it for making him mentally strong and resilient, helping him make the long and arduous journey to the UFC. And a constant throughout this journey and one of the most important factors that has helped him succeed is his team.

Meet Themba Gorimbo’s coach and teammates

To try to make a better life for himself, Gorimbo decided to move to South Africa, hoping to work as a gardener there. This was made possible because he found a 12-carat diamond. After being deported once, Gorimbo re-entered South Africa in a bid to get a job as a gardener. He was then briefly held hostage by the person who organized his migration but finally managed to reach South Africa, where he tried to start a new life.

What followed changed his whole life and put him on a new path. Shortly after moving, he watched the film ‘Never Back Down’, which had a strong impact on him and inspired him to take up mixed martial arts. This led him to the New Cape branch of the Gracie Jiu Jitsu gym, where he had his first real taste of the sport. However, things didn’t work out there, and he eventually moved to Panther Fighting Arts in the administrative capital of South Africa.

According to reports, the Zimbabwean continues to train wrestling under long-time coach Sloane Goosen, even as he has moved to the MMA Masters Gym in Miami, headed by Cesar Carneiro and Daniel Valverde, upon joining the UFC and moving to the USA last year. Along with Gorimbo, the Miami-based gym is the watering hole of UFC superstars like featherweight champion Ilia Topuria and former interim welterweight champion Colby Covington.

Having little money and no other way to make ends since he trains full time, Gorimbo started to live in the MMA Masters Gym5. His situation worsened as he shared a screenshot of his bank account, showing he had only $7 to his name after his first UFC fight. This moved Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson as he bought Gorimbo a home and surprised him with it in the MMA Masters’ gym. While Gorimbo has had a lot of support on his journey, perhaps no one else has made a bigger sacrifice for him than his coach.

Gorimbo vows to win to honor his coach’s mother’s death

At the pre-fight press conference ahead of his UFC Fight Night 241 clash against Ramiz Brahimaj, Themba Gorimbo broke into tears. He revealed that one of his coach’s mother, who had been battling cancer, died in South Africa while the coach was still in Las Vegas with him. And an emotional Gorimbo promised to win the fight in spectacular fashion to honor his coach’s deceased mother.

“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 there, but I was going to go with him to see his mother. I’m going to win for him'” the welterweight fighter said during the press conference.

After losing his UFC debut, Gorimbo has rallied back strongly, winning his next two fights. Coming off an emphatic first-round knockout of Pete Rodriguez earlier this year, and the positive buzz he has managed to generate around himself, a win in his upcoming clash against Brahimaj will put him one step closer to fighting a ranked opponent. And, most importantly, honor his coach’s mother.

Do you think Gorimbo will succeed in recording a win at the UFC Fight Night 241? Drop your predictions in the comments below.