LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Dwayne Johnson aka ‘The Rock,’ who had a long history with professional wrestling even before he became one of Hollywood’s most popular stars, recently offered to help UFC fighter Themba Gorimbo. After winning his second UFC fight, in a competition against Takashi Soto at UFC Vegas 73, Gorimbo took to Twitter to share that he only had $7.49 in his bank account before the fight. “If it wasn’t for the free @ufc meals I started to receive after I signed the fight i would probably be singing a different story,” the Zimbabwean welterweight tweeted.
After coming across Gorimbo’s tweet, Johnson shared that he could relate to the story as he himself started his journey with only $7 in his pocket. The ‘Fast & Furious’ star also said he was ready to help and support Gorimbo. “This is f’n crazy to see and brings back many emotions and memories. $7.49 in this fighter’s bank account. I once had $7 bucks too. I’ve been there on that grind. Got your back, brother. I’ll help. You got this. I’ll be in touch @TheAnswerMMA #hardestsworkersintheroom,” Johnson tweeted. The actor and 10-time world champion has often been vocal about starting his journey with $7 and even named his company, Seven Bucks Productions.
Who is Themba Gorimbo?
Gorimbo is a professional wrestler from Zimbabwe. He was born on January 23 in 1991 and is currently 32. He is a welterweight and has been nicknamed “The Answer.” The athlete hails from the small district of Bikita in eastern Zimbabwe and grew up without his father, as per Planetsport. He became an EFC welterweight champion in 2020, the first Zimbabwean to win the accolade.
Shortly after, Gorimbo fought under the UAE Warriors banner and Fury FC before finally signing a UFC contract. However, the wrestler got choked out by AJ Fletcher in February during his UFC debut. “Straight after my loss, when I got home, everybody [looked at me] like a guy that was smelling like s**t,” he told MMA Mania’s Alex Behunin. “You know, people kind of ignored me. People that I helped kind of ignored me. A lot of people, even people that were close to me, some of them are called my friends... even my own brother,” he added.
However, Gorimbo refused to give up and began training in Kayalami, South Africa. He eventually earned the biggest victory of his career by beating Takashi Sato on UFC Fight Night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and becoming the first Zimbabwean to win a fight in the UFC.
‘Thank you for stepping up’
Fans were quick to react to Johnson’s gesture and took to Twitter to appreciate his help. “You the man Dwayne,” one wrote. “We always have brothers from another mother! Thanks @TheRock,” added another. “You are an amazing person. Thank you for stepping up to help this man. With you behind him I'm sure he'll be a world champion fighter,” one said.
“Thank you DJ @TheRock. Much love from Zimbabwe,” a fourth commented. A fifth penned, “This is awesome, thank you The Rock for recognizing him. Game recognizes game,” while another added, “Thank you the rock for showing luv to my fellow county man.”
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