UFC welterweight Themba Gorimbo announced in a social media post that he has retired from mixed martial arts following his recent loss.
Gorimbo dropped a split decision to Jonathan Micallef earlier this month at UFC Perth. It was his third loss in a row, and dropped his overall UFC record to 4-4.
With the loss behind him, the 35-year-old native of Zimbabwe decided to hang up his gloves.
Themba Gorimbo Retires
Taking to his Instagram, Gorimbo released a statement explaining why he is retiring from MMA.
“Thank you to @ufc and everyone. I dared to be someone and something and failed. Gave all I can in the sport and I am walking away from the sport. My dream is as to be a ufc champion and if I cannot be that I am going to walk away from the sport . It’s not easy but I’ve tried. Maybe I will make a comeback as a Coach or Manager someday but for now the focus will be my family. Thank you to everyone I’ve met on the journey and everyone who has helped me along the journey. I am officially retired from MMA as an athlete. Thank you all,” Gorimbo wrote.
Gorimbo retires from MMA with a 14-7 record. He began his career as a pro in 2013, so he fought for over 13 years as a professional fighter, which is nothing to scoff at. Gorimbo fought the majority of his bouts for EFC Africa at the beginning of his career before fighting for UAE Warriors and Fury FC. He then joined the UFC in 2023, and ended up fighting eight times for the promotion, finishing his UFC career with an even 4-4 record inside the Octagon.
Next Steps for Themba Gorimbo
As he mentioned in his Instagram post, Gorimbo wants to take some time away right now to spend with his family, which is completely understandable given how much he has had to sacrifice over the years to chase his dream of becoming a UFC champion. That dream fell short, but still, not everyone gets to fight eight times in the Octagon, and certainly not everyone gets to win four fights in the UFC.
In his post, Gorimbo mentioned that he is open to coaching or managing fighters in the future, which makes a lot of sense given how much experience he has. He can certainly provide his expertise to the next wave of MMA fighters, either as a coach or as a manager, so it makes sense that he is open to both possibilities in the future.
As well, a return to MMA can’t be completely ruled out, either. There are too many instances to count in this sport where a fighter says they are retired only to fight again, so you can never say never. Right now, it looks like Gorimbo needs a break from the grind, which is fair. But again, so many fighters over the years have retired only to return, so it wouldn’t be shocking at all if that happened again here. For now, though, Gorimbo’s MMA career is over.
UFC Welterweight Announces Surprise Retirement