The inspiring story of UFC fighter Themba Gorimbo is touching the hearts of millions. The African fighter came to the USA with 7 dollars and 49 cents in his pockets. Not only did he survive on the meals provided by UFC, but the fighter also slept in the gym, as he had no roof above his head. His backstory of grits reached millions when Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson stumbled upon his story.
The former WWE star resonated with the welterweight fighter, as he also once had $7 as his bank amount to realize his dream. He then took it upon himself to ease out the MMA fighter’s path ahead. He declared to have Gorimbo’s back after seeing a reflection of himself in the fighter. This announcement drastically altered his life. Besides the Hollywood star, Colby Covington also supported him in his endeavor to realize his American dream.
Dwayne Johnson and Colby Covington stepped in to help Gorimbo
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The UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping detailed the story of the Zimbabwean fighter on the latest segment of his popular podcast. Notably, he commentated Gorimbo’s second fight against Takashi Sato at UFC Vegas 73. Further, he also interviewed him afterward. Calling him an “inspirational guy“, he disclosed the Brit disclosed fighter’s personality to the audience.
He said, “He’s [Themba Gorimbo] a very very chatty guy. He’s got a great personality. He’s got a hell of a story, you know. Comes from extreme adversity and it sounds like pretty abject poverty in Africa, you know.”
Following this, ‘The Count’ recalled how Gorimbo admitted ‘Chaos’ took care of him and bought food for him. The 11-4 record holder painted an unusual picture of Covington, contrary to his popular image.
Bisping stated, “Now Colby Covington really taking care of and brought him food to the gym and you know all the wrestling he was like, ‘You guys don’t understand, you know. You guys have one opinion about Colby Covington and you want to see what he’s doing for me’. And no one knows about this.”
Gorimbo prioritizes his community instead of him
Subsequently, the former middleweight champion revealed The Rock offered to sponsor Gorimbo after he posted he had just $7.49 in his bank account. Remarkably, Gorimbo cashed in the recently accumulated fame as he auctioned off the shorts he wore in his second UFC fight.
Instead of stashing the amount, he built a well for safe drinking water in his village.
Bisping put forth, “After getting a shout-out from The Rock, he managed to auction off his fight shorts for $5000, which he used then to build the well for safe drinking water for his village in Zimbabwe.”
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Gorimbo, in his heartfelt response, then vowed to realize his American dream and become a UFC champion in 2024.
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What do you think of this revelation by UFC HOFer Michael Bisping? Let us know in the comments below.
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