Themba Gorimbo, once a supporter of Colby Covington, severed ties with him after Covington’s actions at the UFC Performance Institute led to Gorimbo being kicked out, prompting Gorimbo to leave their shared gym and target Covington as a future opponent.
Themba Gorimbo once sang Colby Covington’s praises when they were teammates at a Florida gym. Those days? Long gone now.
During his rise to fame, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson took notice of Gorimbo’s struggles. He moved from Zimbabwe to the U.S., fighting to make ends meet. Back then, Gorimbo defended Covington amidst the backlash for his outrageous statements before and after fights.
Covington has a knack for getting under people’s skin. Yet, Gorimbo initially insisted his teammate was misunderstood. Covington had offered help when needed most.
But that camaraderie shifted dramatically a year ago. It even prompted Gorimbo’s move from MMA Masters in Florida to Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas.
“It’s something that Colby did to me that crossed the line,” Gorimbo told MMA Fighting. “There are consequences for your actions, and he’s going to pay for them.”
The fallout stemmed from an incident at the UFC Performance Institute in Vegas. Covington effectively big-timed Gorimbo while both tried to train there.
“He kicked me out of the [UFC Performance Institute] in December 2023,” Gorimbo revealed. “He thought the P.I. belonged to him while cutting weight for Leon Edwards.”
Gorimbo understood cutting weight is tough but felt it didn’t justify Covington’s behavior. The P.I.? It’s meant for everyone.
To add insult to injury, it wasn’t even Covington who evicted him—it was someone sent on his behalf. That stung more, given their prior camaraderie.
Gorimbo was simply trying to get work done like any other fighter at the UFC P.I. He had no intention of distracting Covington.
“That incident is one reason I left the gym,” Gorimbo said of their altercation. “Our morals clash. We’ll see when we get this [fight].”
While Covington isn’t next on his list, Gorimbo aims to target those he wants on his path to the belt. And yes, walking through Covington is part of that plan.
Going from teammates to enemies? A big switch, but Gorimbo isn’t forgiving or forgetting how Covington treated him.
Gorimbo suspects Covington might be relieved they’re no longer training together—especially after an intense sparring session they shared.
“You must ask him what happened last time we sparred,” Gorimbo said. “One of us was bleeding. He crossed the line with me.”
In pursuit of ranked opponents, Gorimbo has set his sights on facing Covington before he reaches title contention.