UFC welterweight Themba Jorembo may have triumphed inside the octagon at UFC Vegas 73 on May 20, but perhaps his biggest victory came Saturday night when he earned the respect of famous actor and professional wrestler, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Gorimbo, from Kyalami, Johannesburg, South Africa, defeated Takashi Sato via unanimous decision and later spoke about the financial difficulties during a media meeting after the fight.
“I was broke,” Gorimbo said. I came to America seven weeks ago without money. I only had enough money to fly, get to the airport to the gym, stay in the gym, and then a friend would send me $200.
“It’s been a roller coaster. I had no money, if you look in my bank account there’s $7 now. In my bank account there’s $7, and I have to enjoy that. I don’t know how much I get paid. All I’ve been focused on in this fight is Winning. Winning was the most important thing, money is a by-product of winning.”
The Rock later saw a Twitter graphic shared by ESPN that summarized Gorimbo’s story and felt inclined to share some of his past, as well as reach out to the young UFC fighter himself.
“It’s crazy to see and it brings back so many feelings and memories.
$7.49 in this fighter’s bank account.
I once had $7 too. I’ve been there in this grind.
I got your back bro. I will help.
I got this. I will be in touch
@tweet
# hahahahaha
It’s crazy to see and brings back so many feelings and memories.
$7.49 in this fighter’s bank account.
I once had $7 too. I’ve been there in this grind.
I got your back bro. I will help.
I got this. I will be in touch @tweet #heart _ heart https://t.co/C2gn1j7OQF– Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) June 10, 2023
There’s no official word on what help The Rock will provide Jorembo, but the 32-year-old fighter wrote back, “God bless you brother. God’s work.”
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