The story of Themba Gorimbo continued earlier tonight (Sat., Feb. 3, 2024) at UFC Vegas 85 live on ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, when the welterweight upstart sparked Pete Rodriguez with a nasty technical knockout finish just 32 seconds into the first round.
Gorimbo — who made his Octagon debut in 2023 — has amassed quite the following for himself in just a matter of 12 months. “The Answer” lost his initial UFC fight, but then responded with a decision win over Takashi Sato back in May. His performance caught the eye of MMA fans all around the world and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, as Gorimbo revealed he was fighting with just $7 in his bank account at that time.
On Saturday, Gorimbo delivered again with a scintillating finish over Rodriguez. Gorimbo landed a crisp right hand that demolished Rodriguez. He quickly fell to the canvas and Gorimbo came flying in with a collection of heavy punches. They were landing at a good clip until the referee stepped in for the stoppage.
Checkout the video highlights in the above player.
Gorimbo, 33, is now 2-1 inside of the Octagon. This was by far his most dominant performance to date and an outing that could launch him up the welterweight rankings pretty quickly. After his performance at UFC Vegas 85, Gorimbo made a brash callout of undefeated contender, Shavkat Rakhmonov, as he tries to claim UFC gold in 2024.
Check out the callout below:
“With a dream and hard work, you can go all the way to the top.”
?? So let it be written, so let it be done – congratulations @TheAnswerMMA! #UFCVegas85 pic.twitter.com/5eOzBoh2Ae
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) February 3, 2024
For complete UFC Vegas 85 results, coverage and highlights, click HERE.