Dwayne Johnson-Backed UFC Fighter Hints at Being Colby Covington’s Next Opponent

Amid plans for a return to the octagon at UFC 317 this summer, Colby Covington may already have his next foe locked and loaded for the International Fight Week card. The former interim welterweight champion was last seen in action in December.

In the bout, which was in the last UFC event of the year, the Clovis native was stopped by Joaquin Buckley with a violent display of power. Covington, in a bid to snap a two-fight losing skid in June, called his shot this weekend.

“I’m hoping to come back during International Fight Week in June. I’m gonna talk to Dana [White]… Hopefully, we can chop it up and figure out who’s next,” Covington said, sounding hopeful of finalising his opponent soon.

He may not have to go out too far in search of one, though. It seems the controversial fighter has been challenged by Hollywood star Dwayne Johnson-backed Themba Gorimbo. If hints, or rather, emojis, are something to go by that is.

At this point, nothing has been made public and the only part of this story that leads us to believe this fight is a possibility is Gorimbo’s ‘winky’ post on X.

Interestingly, Colby has been talking about making a transition to WWE in the next few years and joining the world leader in Sports Entertainment. Johnson, also known as ‘The Rock’, is now part of WWE management. So a fight with Gorimbo could go a long way in securing that future for the American.

The last time Gorimbo, who has a 14-5-0 career record (4-2 in the UFC), fought was at UFC 310 when he took on Vicente Luque on short notice. Brave as it was, the Zimbabwean would be finished with a D’Arce choke early in the first round of the welterweight bout.

If the fight against Covington materializes, it will be the most high-profile matchup of Gorimbo’s career. And while that would make most people nervous, for a friend of The Rock, that’s just another day in the sun.

Gorimbo joined The Rock in the $7 club

Gorimbo inspired a host of fans with an emotional post-fight interview in May 2023. Taking home his first win in the UFC with a decision over Takashi Sato, Gorimbo revealed his struggle to make it to the fight night.

The 34-year-old confessed he had just $7 to his name in his bank account before the fight and was barely surviving. This struck a chord with The Rock, who himself was down to his last $7 before making a decision to take his talents to WWE and become a megastar.

So Rock arranged for Gorimbo to meet him at the MMA Masters gym in Miami. And after emotionally finding a kindred spirit, the Hollywood star offered the UFC fighter a house to live in. This would come as a massive surprise to Gorimbo, who up to that point, had been living on a sofa in the corner of his training facility in The Sunshine State.

“I did ask myself [why me], but I always say, this is not me. This is God,” Gorimbo later told Ariel Helwani.

“And I say God wouldn’t do this for me so that I can fail. That’s why I was so confident in this last fight. Even leading up to the fight, I’ve never trained like this in my entire career. And I don’t even know if I’m going to be able to top it. To work harder than this,” he added.

Gorimbo has been rather open about his plans to fight for the title soon. He may have lost that last fight, but the African fighter is not someone who has ever stayed down for long. And a victory over Colby would guarantee him more opportunities in the top echelons of the welterweight division.

Colby, meanwhile, will find himself facing the challenge of fighting an unranked opponent for the first time in several years. Amid calls of retirement from fans after his last lackluster performance, the 37-year-old will hope to secure a victory to try and move back up the mountain.

Unfortunately, if he falls, this might become the end of the road for the former welterweight contender.