Tag: Themba Gorimbo

After ‘smart’ win over Niko Price, Themba Gorimbo lobbies for Diaz-Luque fill-in role

Themba Gorimbo, one of the card’s biggest favorites, won for the fourth straight time when he outworked Niko Price at UFC Fight Night 244.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Themba Gorimbo[/autotag] beat Niko Price with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 244 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Gorimbo, who was one of the card’s biggest favorites and won for the fourth straight time.

Themba Gorimbo def. Niko Price

Themba Gorimbo

Result: Themba Gorimbo def. Niko Price via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Updated records: Gorimbo (14-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC), Price (16-8 MMA, 8-8 UFC)
Key stats: Gorimbo outstruck Price 141-58 and had more than 9 minutes of control time.

Gorimbo on the fight’s key moment

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 12: (R-L) Themba Gorimbo of Zimbabwe punches Niko Price in a welterweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on October 12, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

“I think that was a tough fight. I thought Niko would go out sooner, but he’s a tough guy. I’m blessed to have won. Obviously, as a person you want a better performance, like knock the guy out and stuff. My mindset today was trying to finish the fight.”

Gorimbo on going the distance

“I feel good about (going 15 minutes). This is a tough sport. You need to be smart and win smartly and knock guys out and get out of there quicker, but sometimes guys are prepared for you at this level. It’s hard to get finishes. When you’re blessed to have one, celebrate it because sometimes it can go away very soon. Niko is tough. It was a good fight for me mentally because he took me to a place where a lot of people failed to, and it was a blessing.”

Gorimbo on what he wants next

Themba Gorimbo def. Niko Price, UFC Fight Night 244

“I would like to come back and fight early January, latest. I have to earn my spot out of the Apex, but I don’t mind fighting at the Apex. The last card of the year, or 11th of January – I’d like to have one more fight before my 34th birthday. I’m no spring chicken. I know Black don’t crack. I look good, but I would like to fight on the 11th of January, start the year with a bang. I would love to fight in December if Nick Diaz and Vicente Luque – if one of them pulls out. I would love to fight one of them.”

To hear more from Gorimbo, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 244.

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UFC Fight Night 244 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Brad Tavares gets $21,000 in record bout

UFC Fight Night 244 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 244 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $186,000.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC Fight Night 244 took place at the UFC Apex. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 244 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Tatsuro Taira[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]JunYong Park[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Chidi Njokuani[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jared Gooden[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Rafa Garcia[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Alex Morono[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Ramazan Temirov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]CJ Vergara[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Pat Sabatini[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jonathan Pearce[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Themba Gorimbo[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Junior Tafa[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Sean Sharaf[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Julia Polastri[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Cory McKenna[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Cody Haddon[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Dan Argueta[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Clayton Carpenter[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Lucas Rocha[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,630; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $32,000 while title challengers get $42,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-63 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $6,488,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $29,225,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 244.

Themba Gorimbo sees himself as realistic headliner for UFC Africa: ‘I’m a big inspiration’

With UFC Africa in the works, Zimbabwe’s Themba Gorimbo thinks the math adds up for him to serve as one half of the main event.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Themba Gorimbo[/autotag] came out victorious Saturday at UFC Fight Night 241 to top off an emotional week.

On the main card at the UFC Apex, Gorimbo (13-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) defeated Ramiz Brahimaj (10-5 MMA, 2-3 UFC), but did so with a heavy heart after the death of his coach’s mother. The tragedy catalyzed unwavering determination and strength.

“I don’t think he took me down,” Gorimbo told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “I think every time he tried to take me down, I remembered my coach and the sacrifice that he made. I said, ‘Nope.’ I remembered the sacrifice that he made. That’s why he didn’t take me down. Every time, he didn’t take me down. My takedown defense was solid. I took him down. I could’ve done more if I wanted to. But for this fight, I was working more on defensive wrestling than attacking wrestling. Because I wanted to knock him out. What I’m doing is being grateful for the win. That’s the most important thing.”

Gorimbo wanted a spectacular finish but didn’t get it. Since he defeated Brahimaj by unanimous decision, Gorimbo didn’t think he was in a position to call his next shot. Instead, he outlined a roadmap of locations for his next fights.

Gorimbo plans to fight at the UFC Apex again, and then perhaps he’ll be aligned to headline the first UFC event in Africa. He considers himself the ideal candidate for the position.

“I’ve heard the rumors they’re going with a Fight Night first when they do go,” Gorimbo said. “At a Fight Night, there’s no titles needed. So I have to make my way up and main event an Apex show. From there, I’ll main event the first African show because I’m a big inspiration to the African fighters because of where I come from. I earned my spot to be here. I didn’t have anything. I worked my ass off to be here. I sacrificed. I nagged my manager daily to be here in the UFC. If an African child can maybe take a page out of my story, to try to make it here, I’m the perfect guy to ask. If you listen to me and you try to do what I do, you might be up there or just land in the UFC.

“I feel like I need to do that to inspire a lot of other African kids. I respect the guys who came before me, Izzy (Adesanya), Kamaru (Usman), the history he made, (Francis) Ngannou, the history he made, Dricus (Du Plessis) with the championship that he has. I respect that. But when it comes to the guy who can actually relate a lot more than anything, I’m not disrespecting the guys, but I come from the gutters of Africa, the gutters of Africa. I can maybe turn a page and reach the new market the UFC needs to reach.”

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In Gorimbo’s mind there’s a difference between a role model and an inspiration. He considers himself the latter, but not the former.

“I’m not a guy that is a role model,” Gorimbo said. “I’m just Themba Gorimbo. That’s what I’m proud of firstly. … When I sit at home, before sleeping at home in my bed, I reflect, and I don’t make the same mistakes again. So I’m not a role model, but I want to be an inspiration and I think I am. … I am inspiration more than a role model.”

While no clear timeline has been announced by the UFC for its Africa debut, company CEO Dana White has repeatedly expressed interest in an event there. In December, he revealed the promotion expects the first UFC event on that continent to take place in either South Africa, Rwanda, or Nigeria.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 241.

UFC Fight Night 241 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $26 million

UFC Fight Night 241 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 241 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $158,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC Fight Night 241 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 241 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Lerone Murphy[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Khaos Williams[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Carlston Harris[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Themba Gorimbo[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Ramiz Brahimaj[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Adrian Yanez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Vinicius Salvador[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Luana Pinheiro[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Tom Nolan[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Victor Martinez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Oumar Sy[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Tuco Tokkos[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Melissa Gatto[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Tamires Vidal[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Abus Magomedov[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Warlley Alves[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Ariane Carnelossi[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Piera Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Heili Alateng[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Kleydson Rodrigues[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Vanessa Demopoulos[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Emily Ducote[/autotag]: $4,500

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2411 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $3,264,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $26,001,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 241.

Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Themba Gorimbo prediction, pick, start time, odds for UFC Fight Night 241

Will Ramiz Brahimaj find success after a two-year layoff against the surging Themba Gorimbo at UFC Fight Night 241?

[autotag]Ramiz Brahimaj[/autotag] and [autotag]Themba Gorimbo[/autotag] meet Saturday on the main card of UFC Fight Night 241 from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.  

Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Themba Gorimbo UFC Fight Night 241 preview

Brahimaj (10-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) and Gorimbo (12-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) meet in a fun matchup at welterweight. … Brahimaj returns to action for the first time since February 2022, where he submitted Micheal Gillmore to continue his trend of trading wins and losses for four years. … After dropping his UFC debut by submission, Gorimbo won his next two fights, most recently stopping Pete Rodriguez in February.

Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Themba Gorimbo expert pick, prediction

Filling out the main card is a welterweight affair between Brahimaj and Gorimbo. Looking to continue the momentum of a two-fight winning streak, Gorimbo will welcome Brahimaj back to the octagon after a two-year layoff.

Although Gorimbo has a lot of hype and a story that’s easy to get behind, the South African fighter is still a bit too green and willing to grapple for me to confidently pick him here.

Don’t get me wrong: Gorimbo will be much livelier as the fight wears on due to his cardio edge, but I see the smaller octagon of the UFC Apex favoring the dedicated submission stylings of Brahimaj.

For that reason, I’ll pick the Fortis MMA product to have a successful return by submitting Gorimbo in Round 1.

Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Themba Gorimbo odds

The oddsmakers and the public are slightly favoring the South African fighter this weekend, listing Gorimbo -142 and Brahimaj +116 via FanDuel. Brahimaj was an underdog in his UFC debut, and lost by TKO due to a damaged ear. He was a favorite over his next three appearances, winning two of those bouts. Gorimbo was also a losing underdog in his promotional debut. He was then listed as the favorite in his next two fights, winning both.

Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Themba Gorimbo start time, how to watch

As the third fight on the main card, Brahimaj and Gorimbo are expected to make their walk to the octagon around 8:15 p.m. ET (5:15 p.m. PT). The fight streams live on ESPN+.

For more detailed analysis from Dan Tom, check out his weekly show, “The Protect Ya’ Neck Podcast.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 241.

UFC Fight Night 241: Themba Gorimbo vs. Ramiz Brahimaj odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 241 odds between Themba Gorimbo vs. Ramiz Brahimaj, with MMA picks and predictions.

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In a 3-round welterweight bout on the main card, Themba Gorimbo and Ramiz Brahimaj meet Saturday at UFC Fight Night 241 — also known as UFC on ESPN+ 99 and UFC Vegas 92 — at the UFC’s Apex Facility in Las Vegas. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC Fight Night 241: Gorimbo vs. Brahimaj odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The prelims begin at 4 p.m. ET and can be viewed on ESPN+, while the main card starts at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

Records: Gorimbo (12-4-0) | Brahimaj (10-4-0)

The Zimbabwean-born Gorimbo takes the walk with 2 straight victories under his belt after a submission loss in his UFC debut back on Feb. 18, 2023, against AJ Fletcher. The win streak includes a KO/TKO in 32 seconds against Pete Rodriguez last time out on the Dolidze-Imavov card.

Brahimaj has split his 4 fights at the UFC level. He bounced back with a submission win over Michael Gillmore last time out after losing via unanimous decision against Court McGee in mid-January. He has had just 1 of his 4 fights go the distance since arriving in the UFC in Nov. 2020.

Gorimbo enters the octagon with a 5-inch reach advantage, and he holds a tremendous lead in significant strikes accuracy percentage. Gorimbo lands 67.82% of those strikes, while Brahimaj lands just 43.43% of his significant strikes. Gorimbo is much better with a 3.39 takedown average, to just 1.90 for Brahimaj.

Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC Fight Night 241: Gorimbo vs. Brahimaj odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 3:20 a.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Gorimbo -150 (bet $150 to win $100) | Brahimaj +125 (bet $100 to win $125)
  • Over/Under: 1.5 rounds (Over -160 | Under +120)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +180 | No -250)

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UFC Fight Night 241: Gorimbo vs. Brahimaj picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

GORIMBO (-150), a.k.a. “The Answer”, is a strong play in this welterweight clash at the Apex.

The Zimbabwean has won the past 2 fights, and just 1 of his 3 fights have ended up going the distance.

Brahimaj (+125) tapped out Gillmore last time out, and just 1 of his 4 bouts have needed the judges to decide his fate.

GORIMBO BY KO/TKO, DQ OR SUBMISSION (+175) on the 5-way line for method of victory is the best play for the chance to nearly double up.

Over/Under (O/U)

No: Will the fight go the distance? (-250) will set you back 2½ times your potential return, and that’s just too much risk for not enough reward.

However, OVER 1.5 ROUNDS (-160) isn’t a bad play for a moderate price. While Gorimbo has ended up going past the halfway point of Round 2 just once in his 3 UFC fights, Brahimaj has gone the distance once, and he has fought into Round 3 in 2 of his 4 UFC bouts, including a 3rd-round KO/TKO loss to Max Griffin in his company debut in Nov. 2020.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and us on Facebook.

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UFC Fight Night 241’s Themba Gorimbo breaks down in tears after coach’s mother dies: ‘I’m going to win for him’

Themba Gorimbo was overcome with emotion during the UFC Fight Night 241 media day.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Themba Gorimbo[/autotag] was overcome with emotion during the UFC Fight Night 241 media day.

Gorimbo (12-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) meets Ramiz Brahimaj (10-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) in a welterweight bout on Saturday’s main card (ESPN+) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Just a few hours before Wednesday’s media day, Gorimbo received the news that his coach’s mother died. He couldn’t hold back the tears when addressing his coach, and plans on dedicating this win for him.

“I’m going to win in spectacular fashion for my coach whose mother just died like two hours ago,” Gorimbo said. “He’s been here with me for eight weeks. He tells me his mother is sick with cancer. He never told me it was that bad. I just say to him, ‘OK, after the fight, we go back to South Africa together.’

“I didn’t have a plan to go there, but I was going to go with him to see his mother. I’m going to win for him. It is what it is. … It’s not (weight) on my shoulders. I’ve been wanting to do that anyway because he sacrificed the past eight weeks of his life. Obviously, I pay him to be here, helping me get better with my wrestling and stuff, but I cannot bring his mother back.”

After dropping his UFC debut in February 2023, Gorimbo scored back-to-back wins over Takashi Sato, and a knockout of Pete Rodriguez in February.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 241.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC, PFL, Bellator fights announced in the past week (Feb. 26-March 3)

Check out the UFC, PFL and Bellator fights that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC, PFL, and Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Feb. 26-March 3.

Themba Gorimbo has path to 2024 UFC welterweight title fight mapped out – but needs some help

UFC welterweight Themba Gorimbo sees a title fight in his future this 2024.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Themba Gorimbo[/autotag] plans to do what few have done in UFC history – go from unranked to champion in one calendar year.

The UFC welterweight envisions himself fighting for and winning the UFC belt this 2024 despite only having three fights in the promotion and not yet being seen as a title contender in the division.

It may be a tough buy for some, but Gorimbo (12-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC), who picked up a first-round KO win at UFC Fight Night 235 this past Saturday, is convinced that he’ll have a quick and unconventional path to the title.

“It’s going to happen,” Gorimbo told reporters at the UFC Fight Night 235 post-fight press conference. “What’s going to happen is that it’s going to be something like a short-notice fight with a top-10 (opponent). I’ll beat him, and then I’ll make my case. It’s not going to be a clear pathway (where) I have to fight through the rankings. I don’t have to do that. When I look at it, I have a big platform. Secondly, I have the skill and I’m a bad fight for anyone in the top 10. They might not think of it, but I am.”

Gorimbo is 2-0 since losing by submission in his UFC debut. He defeated Takashi Sato by decision last May, and knocked out Rodriguez this Saturday.

The 33-year-old made a big splash outside the octagon with his viral reaction video to movie star and WWE wrestler Dwayne Johnson gifting him a house to live in after sleeping at his gym and only having a few dollars to his name.

Gorimbo has a feeling things will work out in his favor and he’ll be fighting for the belt unexpectedly. He thinks he’ll either beat champion Leon Edwards or unbeaten title contender Shavkat Rakhmonov.

“It’s not going to be the case where I have to go top 15, top 10, top five,” Gorimbo said. “For me, I don’t wish anyone to get injured, but someone is going to get out of the fight. The UFC is going to send them a name, and the name is Themba Gorimbo, and they’ll have no choice but to accept it. And then I go in there and do my job, win, and it will be Leon or Rakhmonov. I believe those are the two guys at the top when I get there.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 235.