Themba Gorimbo was disappointed when some of his family members reveled in his UFC 310 loss.
Gorimbo (14-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) was choked out cold by Vicente Luque in just 52 seconds in their welterweight bout last month at T-Mobile Arena. The loss was a hard enough pill to swallow for Gorimbo, but he also had to deal with deception from those close to him.
“When I go online, one of my cousins – I can’t speak his name, but he messaged me the day after I lost this last fight,” Gorimbo said on “The Pivot Podcast.” “Some of my cousins were celebrating my loss. They were all celebrating my loss. He sent me a video of them in a place where we were 15 years ago, this small circle in Danun. It’s a slum. These cousins of mine were celebrating my loss. Do you know how much that eats you?
“Because all I do is try to do better for everybody. I might not directly help you, but maybe I want to build a well for the community. Then one person gets angry: ‘Why did you build the well close to this guy’s house and not this person’s house?’ If someone messages you and says, ‘Give me $5,000’ – where will I get (that)? People think that I’m in the UFC, and I’m a millionaire. I’m not. Maybe one day I will be.”
Prior to the quick submission loss to Luque, Gorimbo was on a four-fight winning streak, scoring wins over Takashi Sato, Pete Rodriguez, Ramiz Brahimaj and Niko Price.
