“My life is a movie, directed by God,” Themba Gorimbo says while his lunch grows cold on a winter’s day in Harare. Gorimbo is back home in Zimbabwe, taking stock of the twists and turns of his dramatic past which meant he had just $7.49 (£5.88) left in his bank account before he won a life-changing second fight in the UFC as a mixed martial artist.
After his victory in Las Vegas in May, Gorimbo mentioned his perilous financial situation at the press conference and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson became involved. The controversial commercial relationship between Johnson and the UFC needs to be addressed but, for now, the feelgood narrative depicts him being swept away by Gorimbo’s plight. Johnson’s production company is called Seven Bucks as he, too, was down to his last $7 when he set out on a career as a wrestler who eventually reinvented himself as one of the biggest movie stars in the world.
