'The Rock’-backed UFC fighter Themba Gorimbo reveals shocking family betrayal from his childhood

Mixed martial arts enthusiasts have praised Zimbabwean combatant Themba Gorimbo for his quick ascent to prominence. His tale of overcoming adversity to achieve success has been incredibly motivating.

In his recent appearance on The Pivot Podcast, Gorimbo talked about his harrowing childhood and how 'The Rock's' gesture toward him transformed his life.

'The Answer' is coming off a loss to Vicente Luque at UFC 310. Luque submitted the Zimbabwean with an anaconda choke in the opening minutes of the fight. Speaking about his recent defeat, which ended his four-fight winning streak and caused him to receive a lot of vitriol from fans and family, the 33-year-old welterweight said he is fortunate to be alive today after a difficult upbringing.

Born in Bikita, Zimbabwe, Gorimbo had a rough childhood as he lost his mother at the age of 12 and his father at the age of 13, after which he became a blood diamond smuggler.

To begin his career in MMA, he traveled to the United States after being introduced to the sport at the age of 17. After losing his first UFC bout against AJ Fletcher in 2023, he returned to winning ways a few months later and won four consecutive fights.

WWE Superstar Dwayne Johnson was inspired by Gorimbo’s journey from rags to riches. 'The Rock' visited him and gifted him a house in Miami, Florida.

During the podcast, the fighter discussed his past problems and disclosed that his relatives attempted to take his house following the passing of his parents. Describing his hard childhood, he revealed:

“When I grow up, my father used to beat me a lot…it was hard. But when your father dies, you then have some of the family members coming to you and tell you your mother came in here pregnant with you and you are not part of this family.”

Check out Themba Gorimbo's comments below (49:10):

The welterweight believes that he will have a wonderful mixed martial arts career despite his recent defeat and that losing is a natural part of the sport.

Additionally, Johnson endorsed him to the hosts, saying his story would be motivational and that he should be invited to appear on the show.

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Themba Gorimbo describes the celebration his own family had after his defeat to Vicente Luque

After four impressive consecutive wins in the UFC, Themba Gorimbo lost to Vicente Luque recently. The fifth loss of his professional career did not end well, as Gorimbo explained on The Pivot Podcast that some of his cousins were celebrating his loss.

He said:

"When I go online, like, one of my cousins, I can’t speak his name but like, he messaged me the day after I lost this last fight; some of my cousins were celebrating my loss, they were all celebrating my loss. He sent me a video of them in a place...Cousins of mine were celebrating my loss, and do you know how much that eats you? All I try to do is do better for everybody."