Themba Gorimbo’s story is one of relentless dedication, hard work, and a never-say-die attitude. But where did he get this formidable mindset from? Well, he credits Kobe Bryant’s ‘The Mamba Mentality’ for changing his life.
You may remember Gorimbo as the fighter who had $7 to his name before he met Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. The WWE star then went on to buy him a house, help bring his family to the USA, and completely changed his life.
Since then, he has grown into a different fighter. Following a loss on his UFC debut, he has now been on a 4-fight winning streak and is set to take on Vincent Luque next.
In the lead-up to the fight, Gorimbo spoke to Parry Punch on YouTube about how he developed this winning mindset and said,
“I looked up to Kobe Bryant….I’ve embodied his Mamba Mentality…the Mamba Mentality just helps me…Imagine I didn’t get the help with Mamba Mentality, I’d probably be very low out there in life.”
It’s this mentality to never be satisfied with mediocrity, and always outworking your opponents that has seen Gorimbo win his last 4 fights in the UFC.
After the kind of childhood he had, he had every reason to quit. He lost both his parents by the age of 13 and then dropped out of school at the age of 16.
‘The Answer’ got into an illicit diamond trade where they would use children to dig out what is commonly known as ‘Blood Diamonds’. Yes, the very same one from the Leonardo DiCaprio movie.
Gorimbo escaped death multiple times in these mines after getting caught by police dogs. He even has scars all over his body as a testament to the tough times he went through. He has seen people lose their lives in front of him. But he just never gave up and kept fighting.
Gorimbo will look to take this same mindset into his next fight. ‘The Answer‘ is fighting the first big name in his career and believes he can finish him.
Gorimbo aims to finish Luque
Gorimbo is about to have an outstanding end to 2024 if he can see Vincente Luque off at UFC 310. The pair will face each other on December 8.
Luque was supposed to be fighting Nick Diaz but in the latter’s absence, Gorimbo is stepping in on short notice. Despite the short prep time, he believes he will finish Luque in the very first round.
“I think he’s been in the UFC for a long time and I just think he doesn’t have the hunger and the desire that I have…If I’m to fight Luque, I’ll finish him.”
He may have a point, but it’s not complacency on Luque’s part. He just has not been consistent with his performances of late, having won just one of his last 4 fights.
This is the same fighter who at one point held wins over champions like Tyron Woodley and Belal Muhammad. So what ‘The Answer’ said about Luque losing his hunger has some credibility to it. But the fight game is a slippery slope and Gorimbo must tread with care.
