Chronicle Editor
Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Themba Gorimbo is confident of delivering a victory in his debut Ultimate Fight Championship (UFC) when he takes on America’s Ashton Fletcher in Las Vegas on Saturday.
This event is also called UFC Vegas 69 or UFC Fight Night 219.
Gorimbo, 32, arrived in America on Sunday and immediately got down to business training at one of Vegas’ facilities in preparation for his much awaited appearance at the lucrative UFC.
A victory for the South Africa-based Zimbabwean pugilist will see Fletcher being cut out from the UFC.
Speaking to MMA Mania, a bullish Gorimbo promised to vouch for Fletcher’s stay in the UFC.
“When he loses to me on Saturday night, because I’m a nice guy I’ll ask UFC not to cut him out and give him one more chance. He’s coming to lose on Saturday night. I know what he brings and I don’t think he knows what I’m bringing.
Maybe he has seen my last fight which to me was so-so (average) and I wasn’t happy with my performance from my last fight.
“Having said that, a lot of people and the media are writing me off based on my last fight. That’s good, everything happens for a reason. I’ll be a UFC champion and mark my words,” declared Gorimbo.
Fletcher stepped in to face Zimbabwe’s 2019 Sportsperson of the Year after fellow American Billy Goff pulled out of the contest for unknown reasons.
The Zimbabwean fighter signed for UFC in August last year after his unanimous decision win against Brazilian Julio Rodrigues in a Fury Fighting Championship in the USA.
Gorimbo is the second Zimbabwe born fighter after Mike “Blood Diamond” Mathetha to sign up for the UFC.
Mathetha is based in New Zealand and trains with the likes of UFC Middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya. He moved to New Zealand at the age of 14. – @ZililoR.
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