“Mamba” is walking away.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight Themba Gorimbo has officially retired from mixed martial arts following his loss earlier this month at UFC Perth (Sat., May 2, 2026), where he dropped a competitive split decision to Australia’s Jonathan Micallef.
The Zimbabwean fighter announced the news in an emotional statement on social media.
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 was 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 (14-7) entered the UFC in 2023 after grinding through the regional scene and building a reputation as one of Africa’s most inspirational stories.
While he lost his UFC debut to AJ Fletcher (watch highlights), Gorimbo bounced back impressively by rattling off four straight wins over Takashi Sato, Niko Price, Pete Rodriguez (watch highlights), and Ramiz Brahimaj.
During that run, Gorimbo became a viral story after revealing he was essentially broke before making it to the UFC. The story eventually caught the attention of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who famously surprised Gorimbo with a new house.
Unfortunately, the momentum did not last.
The 35-year-old closed out his career on a three-fight losing streak, beginning with a submission knockout loss to Vicente Luque at UFC 310 (watch highlights). He later fell to Jeremiah Wells before losing his final fight to Micallef in Perth.
Gorimbo officially retires with a 4-4 UFC record and while his dream of becoming UFC champion never materialized, he still accomplished something very few fighters ever do:
He made it to the big show.
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