Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has delivered an unbelievable gesture for UFC newcomer Themba Gorimbo following his first welterweight win in May – by buying Gorimbo a brand new home.
Following Themba Gorimbo’s first win in UFC, he revealed that he only had $7 left to his name and he was forced to sleep on the couch at the back of his gym because he couldn’t afford rent. Instead of spending his first earnings on a house, or a car, Gorimbo pledged to build a water well for his community back in his native Zimbabwe, investing in his community, rather than himself.
When Dwayne Johnson heard about Zimbabwean fighter Themba Gorino’s story, he was intensely moved by the similarities with his own journey to the top that he flew to surprise the Gorino at his gym, to meet the man whose story inspired him.
“I’ve got to tell you, your story moved me,” Johnson surprised Gorimbo. “When I found out you had $7 in your bank account, I know what that’s like. I was here in Miami when I had $7, but then also you win your second fight, then you sell your fight kit, you buy a water well for your village in Zimbabwe so your people can have clean water.
“Because you could have taken that money and put it down on a car, on an apartment, but you didn’t. You took care of your people, and that just says exactly who you are, and that’s why I flew all the way in. Just to look you in the eyes and tell you, I got your back.”
WATCH The moment Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson surprised Themba Gorimbo with a new house below.
Johnson didn’t just want to visit Gorimbo however, we wanted to invest in him and his future. Together they got in the car and drove to the house that Johnson had bought for him, saying: “I wanted to look you in the eye and I wanted to tell you ‘Welcome home.'”
Themba Gorimbo’s rise is awe-inspiring; aged 16, Gorimbo was forced to illegally dig for diamonds in Masvingo, Zimbabwe. The police who caught him set their German shepherds on Gorimbo and the other workers, savagely biting him and leaving lasting scars. He fled his native Zimbabwe for South Africa and began fighting in 2013.
Now 32, Gorimbo is a UFC welterweight celebrating his first win over Takashi Sato, and dedicated to a singular focus: becoming a UFC Champion.