Julian Kiewiez
Following his win at UFC Fight Night last night, Themba Gorimbo praised his Xtreme Couture MMA coach, Eric Nicksick, for helping him grow.
The former EFC Welterweight champion and current UFC 170 pound star (14-4-0) secured his fourth straight win on the UFC Fight Night: Royval v Taira card when he beat USA’s mixed martial arts veteran Niko Price (16-8-0 NC 2) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas last night.
Shortly after the fight, Gorimbo took to social media to share his fresh thoughts:
“Sore body after that one, but winning by any means necessary,” said Gorimbo on Instagram after dominating Price over three rounds in the Octagon.
“Trust me, I wanted to finish him, but he just would not go away. I will watch the fight and adjust. Thank you to everyone who played a part in making this win possible, and thank you to all who supported me. Love you all
A few hours later, Gorimbo took time to make special mention of his Xtreme Couture MMA coach, who left a lasting impact on him after suffering a debut loss in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
“February 21, 2023, on my way back to South Africa after losing my debut, I met this man, coach Erick, at the airport in Newark. He asked me how I was and I told him I wasn't okay, and then he said he remembered watching my fight and seeing good things in me but not putting them together properly.
"He asked me to play my fight (I hated that because I had just lost ), however, I played it and he told me things that only I knew were happening in my head during the fight. From then I was intrigued. Yesterday, we walked our first walk,” said Gorimbo.
“I can promise you it’s a matter of time from here and my goal with a coach is I can truly trust his intellectual capacity for the game,” said Gorimbo of coach Nicksick before hinting at his next planned return.
“Some of the world’s best coaches have not even played the sport, but their knowledge is far superior. Coach Erick is one of them, and he is not egocentric, nor is he insecure about his ability to share knowledge.
“Today I found my one. Today I can say I enjoy fighting because I know I have the best knowledge next to me
“Big things are coming. Get me in there December 7 or latest January 11.”
Gorimbo showed vast improvement in all areas, from his trademark pressure wrestling to slick striking. He was the aggressor from the first bell and out-worked Price throughout the bout.
UFC Fight Night Results
Brandon Royval (48-47, 48-47) bt Tatsuro Taira (48-47) by split decision; JunYong Park (29-28, 29-28) bt Brad Tavares (29-28) by split decision; Chidi Njokuani (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) bt Jared Gooden by unanimous decision; Grant Dawson bt Rafa Garcia by TKO (strikes) at 1:42 of Round 2; Daniel Rodriguez (29-28, 29-28) bt Alex Morono (29-28) by split decision; Ramazan Temirov bt CJ Vergara by TKO (body shot) at 2:50 of Round 1; Pat Sabatini bt Jonathan Pearce by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:06 of Round 1; Themba Gorimbo (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) bt Niko Price by unanimous decision; Junior Tafa bt Sean Sharaf by TKO, Round 2, 2:15; Julia Polastri (29-28, 30-27) bt Cory McKenna (29-28) by split Decision; Cody Haddon (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) bt Dan Argueta by unanimous decision; Clayton Carpenter bt Lucas Rocha by technical submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:12 of Round 2