Themba Gorimbo isn’t an official backup, and he’s not being paid to stay ready, but the welterweight prospect is going through a training camp right now just in case his services are needed at UFC 310.
So why exactly is he preparing for a fight that might not actually happen?
Well Gorimbo is essentially playing the odds that Nick Diaz won’t make it to his fight against Vicente Luque on Dec. 7 after the one-time welterweight title contender dropped out of their previously scheduled matchup in August for unknown reasons. Of course, Gorimbo doesn’t wish ill will on Diaz by any means but it’s been over three years since the Stockton, Calif. native last fought and the random fight cancellation in August didn’t exactly inspire confidence that he’s storming back to the octagon come December.
“I am here in Las Vegas right now preparing as if I am fighting on the 7th of December against Vicente Luque,” Gorimbo told MMA Fighting. “If it so happens that Diaz doesn’t show up to the party, I’m here and I’m ready. Vice versa, if Luque does not want to show up to the party, I will show up and fight Diaz. That’s where I am standing right now and that’s the fight I am looking at.
“When I left Miami, I said tell Vicente Luque, I’ll be waiting for him in Vegas. If it so happens that way, I’ll be waiting. We’re going to have a fun fight. I respect him, It’s a tough fight. He has been in the UFC for a very long time, he has paid his dues. I am the new guy on the block but we are similar in age. But I believe I am just hungrier. I am probably the hungriest guy in the UFC right now. I may not be the best of them but when it comes to hungry pound-for-pound, I am the best. When we meet, it’s going to be war and I’m going to win.”
Gorimbo’s decision to leave his family in Florida and return to Las Vegas without any real promise that he’s actually going to fight might seem like a strange idea, but really he’s just betting on himself.
He’s been making a steady ascent against better and better competition in the UFC, but Gorimbo admits the chance to face a veteran contender like Luque is exactly what he needs right now.
“This is a calculated risk,” Gorimbo said. “If I didn’t take a calculated risk, I’d be in Miami with my family but I’m taking a calculated risk. The family time is going to come. Why I do this is for my family. I have to keep winning. I have to keep fighting for my family. I don’t have an off button. I’m thinking about fighting whether I’m here or in Miami.
“I believe the 7th of December is my day and I had to make the switch quickly and come back and start preparing accordingly. I’ll be ready Dec. 7.”
While his primary focus has been centered around Luque for obvious reasons, Gorimbo certainly wouldn’t scoff at the chance to face Diaz either.
Truth be told, Gorimbo isn’t playing favorites when it comes to potentially stepping in as a replacement, but he just knows if there’s any concern surrounding that particular fight it lies with Diaz.
“Coming up, I was a big fan of Nick Diaz,” Gorimbo said. “Him and Anderson Silva were two of my favorite fighters. I used to like those guys, the way they fought when I was coming up and what a better way would it be that you work so hard that your idols become your rivals. It would be a perfect scenario for me.
“I know Nick Diaz’s moves, I’ve studied them over the years and I know the ‘Stockton Slap.’ I’ve got the village slap that I am practicing myself. If it so happens, why not. We’re going to have a slap competition and may the best man win.”
For the next month, Gorimbo plans on putting himself through the rigors of a training camp and even if the UFC doesn’t give him the invite, he expects to show up during fight week just to prove he’s ready.
The same goes for the official weigh-ins and if disaster strikes, Gorimbo promises he’s ready to take that fight on 24 hours’ notice.
“I think it’s going to happen, me and Luque,” Gorimbo said. “That’s how sure I am. I have a strong feeling of that. I’m going to win that fight. I don’t even have an afterthought. The thought I have is me showing up Dec. 7, whether they pull out one day before the fight, two days before the fight, it does not matter.
“Fight week I’m water loading, I’m cutting weight. I’m going to show up to the APEX and sit there and I’m going to make weight. I don’t need to be paid. All I want is to make sure that I raise my hand and I say yes to the opportunity.”
