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“He Had Just $7.50 in His Bank Account”- Amid $60M XFL Loss and ‘Project Rock’ Criticism, Dwayne Johnson Sponsored African UFC Fighter Amazes UFC Veterans for Philanthropic Work

Published 06/21/2023, 7:13 AM EDT

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UFC star Themba Gorimbo made headlines with his incredible story after his debut win at UFC Vegas 73. Following his win over Takashi Sato in his first-ever UFC fight, the welterweight from Zimbabwe revealed he only had around seven dollars in his bank account. Gorimbo’s story became viral overnight and within a short time, he was an inspiration to many.

In fact, his story even reached WWE legend and movie star Dwayne ‘The Rock‘ Johnson, who could personally relate to it. The Hollywood A-lister even made a generous offer to financially help out Gorimbo after learning of his finding UFC success despite hardships.

Now, retired UFC star Michael Bisping and light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith have come forward with high praise for the 32-year-old. The reason for their appreciation for Gorimbo will endear him to fight fans all the more.

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In a recent episode of ‘Believe You Me,’ Bisping revealed an interesting new story about Themba Gorimbo to his listeners. ‘The Count’ explained how Gorimbo auctioned off his fight shorts from UFC Vegas 73 and put the money to good use.

Anthony Smith and Michael Bisping praise Themba Gorimbo

Speaking about Themba Gorimbo, Bisping told Smith, “He’s in the news this week because the story was he had seven dollars something left in his bank account and ‘The Rock’ came out this week. ‘The Rock’ offered to sponsor Themba Gorimbo after he posted he had just $7.50 in his bank account before his last fight and was even helped with food during training camp by Colby Covington as I said.”

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He continued, “After getting a shout-out from ‘The Rock’, he managed to auction off his fighting shorts for five thousand dollars, which he used then to build a well for safe drinking water for his village in Zimbabwe.”

“That’s crazy. How incredible. How incredible,” said ‘Lionheart.’ “What a guy,” chimed in Bisping.

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Read MoreDespite Taking a $60 Million Hit From XFL, Emotional Dwayne Johnson to Help Homeless African-American UFC Fighter: “Got Your Back Brother, I’ll Help”

Gorimbo’s story had taken off, especially after ‘The Rock’ responded to him online. The ‘Fast and Furious’ star offering to support Gorimbo despite his own XFL suffering $60 million in losses, made the story even more special.

Gorimbo has had a successful start to his UFC career and has earned the support of many fans and pros. Hopefully, he will be able to keep his momentum and reap more success and help his home country of Zimbabwe again.

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Watch This StoryAmid XFL loss and backlash from fans, Dwayne Johnson gets a heartwarming response

What are your thoughts on Gorimbo helping his home country? How do you see his UFC future playing out? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Yeswanth Praveen

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Yeswanth Praveen is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports, having written over 500 articles on the sport. With a Master’s degree in English Literature, Yeswanth expertly combines his writing and storytelling skills with his passion for MMA. He was initially drawn to the sport after the intense rivalry between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov captured his attention.
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Edited by:

Anuj Jacob