daniel chigunwe
Robson Sharuko
H-Metro Reporter
THEMBA Gorimbo should be enjoying his American Dream.
After all, he is a friend of Hollywood superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, fights in the prestigious Ultimate Fighting Championship and his playground is now in Las Vegas.
Not bad for a boy from Bikita who lost his father when he was just 12 and then lost his mother the following year when he was just 13.
Three years later, at the age of 16, he had dropped out of school.
But, driven by determination and raw talent, he has fought his way to the golden arena of the UFC, via South Africa, and making a name for himself around the world.
If he had not lost to Brazil’s Vicente Luque recently, when he succumbed to the anaconda trap after just 52 seconds, Gorimbo would have finished the year unbeaten.
But, rather than celebrate his achievements this year, let alone his incredible rise to be part of the UFC circuit, a section of Zimbabweans are using that defeat to abuse Gorimbo, who is also known as ‘The Answer,’ on social media.
Gorimbo suspects the abuse is coming from a ruthless gang of social media hawks, who started targeting him when he took a dig at Winky D, something he says he apologised for.
“I don’t know if I have to put this statement out but maybe it can be something to clear the air (regarding) what I’ve been going through in the past few days,” he said on his social media platforms.
“I lost the fight and don’t seek sympathy from anyone but it’s sad to go online and see so much hate for me from people that I consider my people.
“It’s really amazing but a reminder too that no matter what you try to do, nobody will ever be happy for you.
“Many here try to validate their hate towards me by justifying themselves saying I dissed this and that artist, which might have been taken out of context, and I apologised about it .
“I am human, just like many, and I have my faults but woow, getting backlash from people that I call my countrymen or women is really hard to digest mentally.”
He added:
“I was naive to think that (representing) my country would inspire others in my country to do something with their lives no matter their background.
“Even Jesus was never loved by all and one of his own sold him out. I will never stop (representing) Zimbabwe or hate my country because of a few people who are haters and create narratives to justify their hate against me .
“This story will be one of the greatest stories ever in combat sports history.”
And, Gorimbo should be cheered with the support he has received online.
