Zim MMA fighter debuts at UFC Vegas:69

Zimbabwean Mixed Martial Artist Themba Gorimbo is set to make his much anticipated Ultimate Fighting Championship debut this coming weekend when he faces A.J Fletcher in a non title Welterweight bout.

The former Extreme Fighting Championship Welterweight Champion who recently signed with the UFC, said that he wants to make history by becoming the first MMA fighter from Zimbabwe to win a UFC match when he takes Fletcher this weekend.

Gorimbo is the second Zimbabwean fighter to compete in the promotion,after New Zealand based Mike ‘Blood Diamond’ Mathetha was signed to the promotion in 2021.

”I wanted to make history by becoming the first Zimbabwean in the UFC, but I’ve got one more chance to make history on Saturday night.”

“I actually told Blood Diamond this, I spoke to him, and I told him, ‘Brother, don’t fight before I fight,’” Gorimbo continued. “Then he asked why, and I said to him, ‘because I’m meant to be the first Zimbabwean to win a fight in the UFC. You were the first to be signed, I’m going to be the Zimbabwean to win a fight in the UFC.’ And it’s gonna happen,”he said.

Gorimbo forms part of a UFC-signed contingent of Southern-African athletes that include Dricus du Plessis, Cameron Saaiman and JP Buys, however, only Gorimbo, Du Plessis and Saaiman are fighting out of South Africa.

Gorimbo is coming off a win over Julio Rodrigues last June at Fury FC 65. The plan for the 32-year-old fighter was for him to compete on season six of Dana White’s Contender Series, however, after some things fell apart, he leapfrogged the show and got directly signed.