Themba Gorimbo says family members celebrating UFC 310 loss to Vicente Luque ate at him

Themba Gorimbo was disappointed when some of his family members reveled in his UFC 310 loss.

Gorimbo (14-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) was choked out cold by Vicente Luque in just 52 seconds in their welterweight bout last month at T-Mobile Arena. The loss was a hard enough pill to swallow for Gorimbo, but he also had to deal with deception from those close to him.

“When I go online, one of my cousins – I can’t speak his name, but he messaged me the day after I lost this last fight,” Gorimbo said on “The Pivot Podcast.” “Some of my cousins were celebrating my loss. They were all celebrating my loss. He sent me a video of them in a place where we were 15 years ago, this small circle in Danun. It’s a slum. These cousins of mine were celebrating my loss. Do you know how much that eats you?

“Because all I do is try to do better for everybody. I might not directly help you, but maybe I want to build a well for the community. Then one person gets angry: ‘Why did you build the well close to this guy’s house and not this person’s house?’ If someone messages you and says, ‘Give me $5,000’ – where will I get (that)? People think that I’m in the UFC, and I’m a millionaire. I’m not. Maybe one day I will be.”

Prior to the quick submission loss to Luque, Gorimbo was on a four-fight winning streak, scoring wins over Takashi Sato, Pete Rodriguez, Ramiz Brahimaj and Niko Price.