Themba Gorimbo has put an end to his fighting career.
The UFC welterweight announced his retirement from the sport on Thursday evening through a post on his Instagram. This news comes after Gorimbo suffered his seventh career defeat earlier this month at UFC Fight Night 275 in Perth, Australia. Gorimbo lost a split decision to Jonathan Micallef.
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“Thank you to UFC and everyone,” Gorimbo wrote on Instagram. “I dared to be someone and something and failed. Gave all I can in the sport, and I am walking away from the sport. My dream was to be a UFC champion, and if I cannot be that, I am going to walk away from the sport. It’s not easy, but I’ve tried. Maybe I will make a comeback as a coach or manager someday, but for now the focus will be my family. Thank you to everyone I’ve met on the journey and everyone who has helped me along the journey. I am officially retired from MMA as an athlete.”
In this post, Gorimbo alluded to potentially being released from the UFC following this latest defeat, thus prompting his retirement, but he did not fully specify if he’s out of contract with the promotion.
Gorimbo, who’s been fighting professionally since 2013, fought for the UFC from 2023 to 2026. He was submitted in his debut, but then followed up with four consecutive wins, including two TKO finishes, making some waves in the UFC welterweight division. Unfortunately for Gorimbo, he lost his last three bouts.
Apart from his work in the cage, Gorimbo also made many headlines in the sport, as he was gifted a house by “The Rock” Dwayne Johnson, who sympathized with his comments following his first UFC win, saying he was broke and had only $7 in his bank account. “The Rock” surprised him at his gym, MMA Masters in Miami, and filmed the whole moment in a viral video. Gorimbo is also the first Zimbabwean to win a fight in the UFC.
