Themba Gorimbo was shocked and hurt by his family’s unsupportive reaction to his loss against Vicente Luque at UFC 310, revealing that some relatives celebrated his defeat due to unmet financial expectations.
Themba Gorimbo faced a harsh reality when his four-fight winning streak ended at UFC 310. Sadly, not everyone in his family was supportive during this tough time.
In December, Gorimbo stepped up to fight Vicente Luque, a seasoned welterweight contender. It was a big leap, and Luque’s experience showed as he defeated Gorimbo with a swift anaconda choke in under a minute.
On the podcast The Pivot, Gorimbo shared a surprising twist: some family members celebrated his loss. "Some of my cousins were celebrating my loss," he said. They even sent him videos from a place they used to gather 15 years ago, relishing in his defeat.
"Do you know how much that eats you?" Gorimbo wondered aloud. The sting of their reaction was palpable.
After losing his UFC debut, Gorimbo bounced back with four straight wins. This included a commanding decision victory over Niko Price in October.
At 33, Gorimbo is baffled by his family’s reaction to his defeat against Luque. He suspects it stems from unmet expectations; they wanted things he simply couldn’t give.
“All I try to do is [do] better for everybody,” he explained. Gorimbo wants to help, perhaps by building wells for the community, but individual demands are overwhelming.
People assume he’s wealthy because he’s in the UFC. "I’m not," he clarified. Maybe someday, but not now. Imagine facing 20 people asking for $5,000 each—it’s just not feasible.