The Code To Winning - FROM SMUGGLING BLOOD DIAMONDS TO UFC FIGHTER: THE INSPIRING JOURNEY || THEMBA GORIMBO || EPISODE 040

Episode Date: July 7, 2025

In this powerful episode of Code to Winning, we sit down with the inspiring Themba Gorimbo—one of the UFC’s most resilient fighters with a story that sounds almost too surreal to be true. Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Themba’s life was shaped by hardship from the very beginning. He lost both of his parents at a young age, leaving him to navigate the harsh realities of life alone. Left with no safety net and surrounded by poverty, Themba was forced into extreme circumstances just to survive.   At just a teenager, Themba found himself working in the dangerous world of illegal diamond mining in Zimbabwe’s notorious Marange fields. Risking everything daily, he smuggled diamonds—not for greed, but as a desperate attempt to put food on the table and survive. He speaks openly about the danger, fear, and impossible choices he faced during this chapter of his life. His story sheds light on the dark underbelly of survival in a world few outsiders ever see, and how those struggles shaped the fighter he would later become.   But Themba’s hunger wasn’t just for survival—it was for something greater. Fueled by grit and the memory of his parents, he shifted his focus from the mines to martial arts, stepping into the fight world with nothing but heart, determination, and a will to succeed. From backyard gyms to sleeping on gym floors, Themba clawed his way up, fighting in local circuits, slowly earning his place among warriors on the global stage. His journey wasn’t just about learning how to fight—it was about learning how to endure.   Today, Themba Gorimbo stands as a proud UFC fighter, known for his relentless work ethic, explosive fighting style, and unwavering faith in his destiny. He shares how the fight game became his salvation, turning his pain into purpose. His dream? To become a UFC champion in his division—a dream he continues to chase with unmatched passion and laser focus. Themba’s story is one of pure resilience, and he’s far from done writing it.   In this raw and emotional interview, Themba opens up about the darkest moments of his life, the pivotal choices that shaped his future, and the mindset required to rise from rock bottom to the bright lights of the UFC. This isn’t just a fighter’s tale—it’s a story about grit, sacrifice, and the belief that no matter how impossible the odds, greatness is within reach.

My mother died when I was very young, my father when I was very young, and then you end up growing in a place where it's tough. You know, like, I'm a first born in my family, and as a first born, it's you or nothing. And I think this is how I was programmed, and this is how was my come-up. Even the way the whole thing of fighting came about, like it was not something that I planned to do.

How did you start fighting? I watched a movie, never back down, and I never begged down and I just watched this movie and I thought oh snap this is a sport fighting is a sport okay I want to try it out where there was an advert for a gym

and then I went to the gym and started Jiu Jitsu then at that Jizu Gym the coach there was also a MMA coach at Panthers and I also happened to go to Panthers and then that's how my journey started I will not let him

take anything for me That is my mindset, that is my mentality when I go into fight. You cannot put me back where I was before. That's my mindset when I'm in there, you know. I love that so much. I look at that and I'm like, you cannot put me where I was before. You're going to have to kill me. The beginning of your life story when you were working the mines.

No working. We were not working. And the mines like people say, oh, you're working at the diamond fields. No, we were smuggling diamonds. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. That movie like Blood Diamond, right? Food was scarce and the diamonds are 30 minutes, 40 minutes away from where I, I moved from my village. So instead of going to school, I chose to go to the diamonds field and smuggle diamonds, you know.

And like you dig them illegally, you sell them illegally. That's what we used to do. But in the process of digging and selling them, there is danger. You know, digging them, you have to go underground. Sometimes you're lucky you can go to the surface diamonds, but they're not really. Nice. The surface diamonds are not really clean. They almost as close as to rough diamonds. But what happens if you caught? Where? Smuggling those diamonds. The Code 2 winning insights you need today to seize the world tomorrow.

Today we have a special guest, an amazing guest. Somebody I've been looking to interview for over a year right now. Without further ado, we're going to give you introduction of our guest today. He goes by the name of Temba Gorimbo, coming all the way from Zimbabwe in southern Africa. He is a UFC fighter, a stallion, a champion, and, like I say, a beast. Somebody I look up to the most inspiring story you'll ever come across within this specific podcast in the coat winning. Somebody who defines winning in every single possible way. So ladies and gentlemen, without further adieu, my brother, somebody I'll look up to Temba Gorimbo. Oh, thank you.

This guy, he's got the magic. He wants to loosen me up first before anything, eh? I see, I see. I mean, it's a pleasure to be here, bro. I mean, when I realize you were from South Africa, you know, with brothers, you know, and I just thought, you know what, I'm going to do it. I normally don't like to do these things. like especially with people that I don't know it's or they've not been recommended by

somebody but because you're from South Africa and I realize like you know what you probably know what I know and we can talk you know and we can relate to so many things and yeah so why not do it and let's get people to you know to understand us awesome stuff no I'm not explaining ourselves but like talk about life and and anything you want to talk about. I appreciate that. Like I said, when you reached back out, it caught me by surprise I was in Miami at that time doing interviews

and I could not believe what I showed. He's not yet two of my guys in my team, I'm like, this guy would look into interview him for a while. He just responded. I'm like, we're booking Miami. I don't care. I don't know, like put everything aside. We're going to Miami.

We need to interview Timbers. So you were here in Miami when I replied to you? No, I was in Vegas. In Vegas. I was in Vegas, actually. I think when I replied to you, I was in Vegas. Really? Yeah.

What were you doing there? I was training and doing my rehab. So I had a bad injury going into my last fight, kind of like a broken angle foot. So I was trying to make a comeback sooner, but the injury was still very bad. So when I was in Vegas, I was training, but also focusing on the rehab at the UFC Performance Institute.

So, yeah, now I'm fine. I'm back here in Miami with the family and my old team, and life is great. I'm looking forward to make my comeback. I don't want to call it a comeback because I think it's a continuation of my story. Before was necessary, and now I just continue and go on to become a champion. No, I love that so much. And I think the reason why I reached out to you, obviously I shared a few personal stuff with you when you started, I just loved I feel like the top 0.1% percent.

people in the world have got the mental resilience. And sometimes that comes from like experience of life and the things we come across how we grow up, the environment, how we raised. And just your entire life story just shows that you just had a never give up attitude. You just always were just resilient. And I think it's so important in today's world

that you have to just continue to be resilient and push forward towards your goal. Before we start, I want to try and get a brief background for our viewers and our guests. Can you just give us a brief? Just on that one, sometimes you don't have to just go through the war, you know. You just want to put it out there. I think sometimes it also can be a downfall, you know, like trying to go through resilience is good,

but like sometimes when you are resilient and you're built with the character of wanting to go through anything and everything that is tough, you end up making wrong decisions at times. And like let's say, going into my last fight, I should not have been there in the first place. but in the first place I was not supposed to be there. Then I raised my hand. I was in there. But was I prepared to be there? No.

So it's not an excuse of having lost. But if it has happened in the other way that I had won, I would have been celebrating in a different way and like, oh, I won. But you know, this was what I was going through, going into the fight. But, like, resilience is great, but we have to have calculated resilience. And I'm only learning that now. Sometimes it's good, but going through the war is not always the way. We can go around it, over it.

What's the toughest part about resilience? How does one end up building a strong mentality? Strong mentality. You build it from... I think it's based on your background most of the time. If not your background, it's based on circumstances that you have gone through. And for me, I think it all comes down to how I grew up and my childhood, like, and everything that I have gone through to be where I am right now. And I think that all these things added up to be here for me to be here.

And some of the things I need to let go off because, and some of the memories or so ever, I need to let the go off because I'm trying to go to the next level now. But I'm holding on to some of these things and using some of these things. as ways to go up, but do I really need it? No, not necessarily. So I think, I think resilience, I would say, like your question, yeah, it comes from your background most of the time, and there comes to a point in time in our life or careers that we might have to let it go and use new energy. And I think I'm on that phase now. And it's going to be great. And I love that.

And often, I'm glad, you know, you spoke about our backgrounds being from Southern Africa and just, you know, coming to America as well. I often feel sometimes naturally as an immigrant, you always have to keep, like, one eye open. You know what I'm saying? In other words, you have to continually push because you have no one, sometimes you're allowing besides yourself. Because you're literally out there, you know, and, you know, your eye single, to a certain goal. What's been the hardest part of you

just always fighting to survive? What's been the hardest part regarding that? Yeah, I mean, if you look at my life, I mean, like most African kids I happen to be the guy on the spotlight, but most African kids grow up without their parents. Their parents die when they're very young.

And my mother died when I was very young, my father when I was very young, and then you end up growing in like in a place where it's tough, you know, like I'm a first born in my family and as a first born, it's you or nothing. And I think this is how I was programmed and this is how was my come up. And then moving to South Africa at the young age and trying to look for a job, X, Y, you know how it is in South Africa? You are South African, but you know how you guys do it. Sometimes, you know.

No, I mean, you know. We're not talking. That's why I came here because you are South African, and you know the tough part about being in South Africa as a foreigner, firstly, and then as a foreigner who does not have papers, secondly, you know, they call them quitty-quitty. And you know how it is. And I was in a township location and tried to get jobs,

try to do that, trying to do X, Y, Z. And I survived that, and I managed to, to work my way all the way up, to be where I am. And I mean, the rest is history, but it's, it's, I think, it's, I don't know how to say it in a way, but I think it's, it's, it's good. Yeah, like everything that, like, let's say for me, personally that I've gone through, it's great. I love it, even if it is bad, I love it.

Because it's part of the story, I think I'm going to end up having to have one of the greatest, most inspirational story in combat sports history. I love that. You already have, trajectory-wise, and we're going to go into it as well. I feel like trajectory-wise with where you've been, are the connections you've made, your story. I don't think I've made connections. I think connections made me. No, like, honestly, like, when you look at it, it's just like, I just managed to tell my story when I was still like in South Africa, when I started fighting. And like even the way the whole thing of fighting came about,

like it's, it was not something that I planned to do. How did you start fighting? I watched a movie never begged down and I never begged down. And I just watched this movie. And I thought, oh, snap, this is a sport. Fighting is a sport. Okay, I want to try it out. And then I was working in the back of a bucket of my boss.

And then I took the number at Bayside Mall in Parklands. I took a number where there was an advert for a gym. And then I went to the gym and studied jihitsu. Then at that jihitsu gym, the coach there, there was also a MMA coach at Panthers. And I also happened to go to Panthers. And then that's how my journey started. And I was working as a security guard. So it was convenient for me as well to learn to fight as a security guard.

guard and you know also having cousins that want to fight all the time I was about to say like I think there has to be some sort of historic context when you like can I can actually fight you know what I'm saying yeah I didn't want like when I started fighting I'll be honest it was more to make sure that I am good to defend not to defend to beat my cousins that were older than me and and that way it came from and I wanted to know like to you know like to be the guy in township in Danun I wanted to be the guy and then also being a security guard at very young age I wanted to make sure that when I'm there at work I'm able to beat these guys that are coming to steal in the shop I was working at Peking Pays circle center in in Tableview okay

yeah and that's how I started on I was 19 you know it was tough but that's how my journey started and eventually the coach I think he realized I was good Anthony Keto and then he booked me a fight three months later then I won that fight very quickly and yeah I had a very terrible amateur career because obviously I was working as a security guard at this pick and pay and it is a pick and pay that open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. okay so were you working both shifts all the way through yeah because I I kind of like was one of the best I would not say this but I was one of the best security guys there that would arrest a lot of people. I didn't have fear so like I would just if you still whether you're a staff member or the

normal guys that come into the shops and like also most people that would still there were Zimbabweans too man yeah like I would pick up that okay these guys are coming here to still so I always had that one up and I would arrest people and catch people that are were stealing in the shop so the boss that owned this shop he liked me and he wanted me to be at work almost every day okay and this was a blessing and a case at the same time because now I cannot train MMA food the way I want to now I'm working 7 to 11 is double shift okay 7 to 11 so I would work three days on 7 to 11 7 to 11 and then one day off three days on one day off three days on one day off

and I'm still juggling my amateur career of MMA and you know working as a security guard three days on one day off you do not training properly so my amateur career was very terrible but it taught me a good lesson because my coach always had this saying to me say Timba don't worry about your amateur career it's fine you must lose because you know losing I lost a lot of amateur fight I look like the kid that will never make it and you always say to me Timber don't worry I remember these words from Anthony Keto. When we come from Dragon Power, when I'm crying in the car, going back home and he's dropping us, and you always tell me, Timba, don't worry. And you know, like, I'm in the car, everybody else is one, and I'm probably the only one that he has lost. And you would say to me, don't worry,

amateur career doesn't mean nothing. You'll see. Then actually, life is funny. When we turn professional, I'm, towards the end of my amateur career, I realized what is in the future. what is needed to become a professional fighter so I quit the job as a security guard and I started doing gardening and gardening would allow me to train every day

in South Africa yeah yeah I would work in Blobeck I worked in Blobbing by I moved also from Danoon to Parklands and when I was in working as a gardener now I was able to train every day so my job started finishes at four as a gardener so I'll train I'll make sure that I will train and be the first one in the gym at Virgin active table view I'll be the first one to arrive when they open and then I'll train for one and a half hours then jog to work in Blobake then go to work work the physical job but I didn't work this job as a job in my head I was training okay so the job I'll do work I'm at work but I'm

I'm training. It's like physical work. I'm training. I'm training. I always look at it this way. I am training. This is not a job. This is training. And I looked at it that way. And then I'll finish work at four. I'll jog home, 30 minute jog. Then I will get there and I will get ready for the next training. And then I'll be in the gym at 6 o'clock. And I'll start training. My first class was the Jiu-Jitsu class from 6 to 7. then 7 o'clock to 8 o'clock was the 6 to 7 was I still even remember the schedule 6 to 7 was coach Gary his jihitsu class 7 to 8 was anthony kato's kickboxing class 8 to 9 was jina ifuki's boxing class then after that those three hours again I would go to the gym and train at the gym again and do the gym close and I go home man every day I'll do it and I won my life two amateur fights because I said to my coach I want to turn professional then he says win two fights then I will turn you professional then he gave me tough fights the last two fights that I had was was very tough my last amateur

fight actually I fought a guy that had fought professional so I think this amager fight I mean I won it it was a tough fight but the guy had fought professionally before and for some reason I think he he wanted to make a comeback whatsoever and then they They brought him back to amateur. And those days, the guy that he had fought and beat was fighting for the EFC featherweight title. But why was he fighting, amateur fighting then? I do not understand.

His name is Jared Holiday. And he had fought Abdul Hassan. But the system was weird. You know, like, back those days, the system was very weird. And this guy was, he fought professionally before. And you beat him? Yeah, I did beat him. And the last two fights of my amateur career,

that was the only time I went on a two-fight winning streak. Wow. Either than that, it was win, lose, win, lose, lose. Or lose, lose, lose, lose, lose. No. Win, lose, win, lose, win, lose. Then I decided, you know what, I want a team professional. I told my coach he says, if you win two fights, I'll turn a professional.

Then I won those two fights. Then I think my last fight was around March or something like that. Then by June, I started I turned professional of 2013. And then I fought three times after that. June and then I fought August and I for December, February and I was consistently fighting professionally. And then, but your journey to come to the United States when joining the UFC, I think you first, you wanted to go to Germany before you end up coming over here.

No, this is EFC. Okay, yeah. The promotion in South Africa, so I made my professional debut in Imagine FC, a promotion that was based in Porte Elizabeth. Okay. So, because my amateur career was so terrible that, like, Like I told you, my amateur career was so terrible that the local show in South Africa didn't even want me. You understand what I'm saying?

They would look at my amateur record and they didn't even want me to make my professional debut there. Yeah, I was not one marketable. Two, I was not, I mean, not I was not, I am not like the guy that would say, how he can become a superstar for you us, you know. And thirdly, I mean, the professional scene was like, you know, you know how South Africa works. I can't go into detail, but like, you know how some things work there. And for a guy like me, it was a little bit difficult.

So I had to turn professional outside of EFC. And I went to Imagine FC and I fought as Imagine FC and fought this guy, Sydney, Mocholo. And during this fight, I dislocated my shoulder and I won the fight. thank God and woke up in the hospital with a victory and after that I was one in all then my first fight in EFC I actually fought a guy that was considered to be going to be becoming champion there and was he was like the face they were trying to build it now yeah they were trying to build him through me too okay so you were trying to like you were the example they wanted to like make sure yeah I mean it was John Loube but unfortunately he I think he under

admitted me and I was so hungry. I'm still very hungry and I think I took him by surprise. I finished him in the first round. Oh yeah very quick. Submission or TKO or knocker? Submission very quickly and then the second guy I did the same thing the third guy the same thing I think I went on a like winning streak of submission submission submission submission finishing guys. Wow. Yeah I mean when they initially they I don't thing when I was there they ever wanted to build me so when I'm winning then they wanted to maybe promote this guy or that guy so you disrupted the script yes of course I did that like I remember being this guy there was a guy very good-looking guy

that also they had those they wanted they wanted to build him called Charles Vasserman okay his nickname was bad news and I remember this guy backstage just before the way the way in his backstage Like this girl was so popular that two girls were fighting for him. Are you kidding me? Yeah, before the fight. And in my head, I just went like this. Oh, you even worried about women.

I'm worried about eating you. There is no way. When we stepped in the cage, when they were doing the announcement, I was saying to myself, this guy's got everything. I don't have nothing. I will not let him take anything from me. you know I that that is my mindset that is my mentality when I go into fight

you cannot put me back where I was before that's my mindset when I'm in there you know love that so much I look at it that and I'm like you cannot put me where I was before you're gonna have to kill me wow and and if you want to put me back there you know you're gonna have to kill me but we'll see good luck oh my god so that was my mindset when I was fighting this guy and yeah I was doing so well there then I got a title shot. In EFC, I was very young. And I think if I had won this title, I would not have been here in the UFC or sitting here next to you.

Because I think, back then I remember why I wanted to win the title. And it was not for a good reason, the EFC title. When I fought Leon Menard, in my head, it was based on, you know, like, I'm not the game. the best looking guy right and I'm not the guy I'm not a popular kid so I wanted to win this title and use it as a fun edition to try and get girls and it was not the right reason you know like okay win a title then now he started getting girls whatsoever it does not make sense you know what I'm saying and I was young when I was there by EFC so I was that like 2014 15 when you did the

time 15 yeah okay so I lost that fight but I won in life because when I lost that fight, that's when I actually met my wife. Wow. On a loss, and that's when I made my wife. And, I mean, we're still together to this day forever, you know. But I lost the fight, like I say, which was I wanted to use it for the wrong reasons. But then straight after the loss, I met my wife. On a loss, depressed, it was so ever.

But, I mean, that's, that was the beautiful part of it. I lost the fight, but I won in life. Which is why I kind of want to segue to this topic. I'm a very religious person. I think I even told you for my church, I did a service mission for two years in Ghana. But apart from that, I was raised like in the gospel. I strongly believe that our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ, I believe that they know us, they love us,

and sometimes when you pray for a certain opportunity or situation, no may not mean no for that particular point in time like in your situation no may just mean I have something better for you in later in life as well and I've seen you know we speak about religion every now and then how how has like your beliefs played an impact in your life and like in your decisions as well I mean I have always believed in God's and I believe in God and And what's funny enough, I have not been to a church willingly my whole life.

I personally have not been to church willingly my whole life. I know because it's a cool thing to do is just that I didn't want to go to church. But I believe in God, I pray to God, and I believe my life is God's project. And maybe one day I'll be at church. Maybe tomorrow, maybe Sunday I'll be at church. But I believe in God so much. But there was a point in my life where I did not believe in God, but not because I will not blame on anybody, but it's I mean, if it's still me, it's me, but like what I'm trying to say is like, based on my circle of people,

because there was a point where it felt like an embarrassment to believe in God, because when you are around people that say, oh, if you're seeing God whatsoever, you know, there's things and people like that. And if you have 20 or 30 people around you or five, whatever, whatever number it is that are telling you, and you start thinking that it's not cool to believe in God and you kind of like drift away from it. And I had that part of my life where I did not believe in God. And I think, yeah, I think when I was at this team where I was training in Johannesburg, My time when I was at FFM, I think it was a time where I did not believe in God. You know?

When I left the gym, then when I went on my own and did my own, I opened my own gym, and I started believing God again. What was that switched? What made you go from not believing him to believing him again? Yeah, because, I mean, I don't want to say this thing of the past, but, I mean, people change whatsoever, but like, You know, when you are around people that don't believe in God, and then naturally brings you down.

It naturally brings you to a point where, and they question everything, and you'll start also not to believe in God, you know. And, like, that's why, like, you have to be very careful with your circle and people that you surround yourself with in terms of belief systems and things like that. I've not seen God or so ever, but I think my life is his project. And I think that we have to believe in something, you know. I might we don't we don't all have to believe in one thing but for me personal I believe in God like I said to you I've never been to church but I believe in God and I think that

that that that keeps me going as a person in terms of like my belief system in God where I always say my life story is a project of God like it's a script written by God I just happen to be the main actor of it so even when I fall I know I'm going to Come back. It's not a fall. It's part of the story. I love that. I love that so much. Well, also one of the things that inspires me so much about you, obviously we spoke about the resilience, but when you speak about the war, I kind of want to segue just a bit again in the beginning of your life story when you were working in the mines. No working. We were not working. In the minds like people say, oh, you're working at the diamond fields? No, we were smuggling diamonds.

You know what I'm saying? Yeah. The movie like Blood Diamond, right? So smuggling mines. We were smuggling diamonds. Yeah, we were smuggling diamonds. Can you tell us about the story? No, like it's 2008.

There's a big drought in Zimbabwe. And God bless us with the diamonds at the diamond field. Because we had a big drought where like food was not there. It didn't rain. That was the time when the Zimdala went like that, right? I mean, Zimdala was going down already, bro. But that time is when we were, I mean, for those that don't know, I have once been a billionaire in my country, trillionaire. You know, we used to have five billion, the Biera checks in Zimbabwe.

With the wheelbarrow? I don't know, man. People like to exaggerate. No, there was a wheelbarrow. I don't know. No, bro. 2003, 2004. I remember people going with the wheelbarrow as well.

It's a lie, right. It's a lie. Okay, boss. You can't go with the wheelbarrow to buy. There were Bera checks. Bera check is one note. That is five. billion. The beer checks were five billion, five billion, five billion, five billion, three

and trillion. So you don't have to get to a wheelbarrow side. So SABC is fake news. That's what you're saying. Who, who have you seen that gone to buy bread with a wheelbarrow? That's what I was on SACB. No, I want to say and be honest, like we have had tough times in my country in Zimbabwe, but I think the Biera checks, it was like you would think, okay, cool, if you're buying bread with 5 billion maybe you go with a wheelbarrow no it was one not okay the bera checks i was at the diamonds those days we used to sell our diamond with these bera checks you know and it is maybe one or whatever they did a trillion whatever like you know but it it was never a will And in 2008, I was in Form 5 and I didn't want to go to Form 5, but I just went because I passed

my O level and the diamonds came out and food was scarce and the diamonds are 30 minutes, 40 minutes away from where I, I moved from my village. So instead of going to school, I chose to go to the diamonds field and smuggle diamonds, you know. And like you dig them illegally, you sell them illegally. That's what we used to do. But in the process of digging and selling them, there is danger. You know, digging them, you have to go underground. Sometimes you're lucky you can go to the, like the surface diamonds, but they're not really nice.

The surface diamonds are not really clean or they're not like they're almost as close as to rough diamonds. The best diamonds you would find them underground where like the swamp. So there was a place where it's called by the swamps. The swamps, you get nice and clear diamonds. And the other diamonds that were the best diamonds were the ones that you have to crush stones. Like those granites. Yes. The green nights, you crush them, but that was too much hard labor.

You have to have patience. Like you crush a big granite sometimes you find one or two, one or two, Gorda or the clear diamond. But the good thing that if you find a clear diamond, if you find the clear in the granite, inside the granite, yeah, that would be like, you make a lot of money. How much? I've never gone there, but at the granite side,

the guys that did that when they cash out and they'll cash out big. But they'll spend a month there because, 20,000 rent, 40,000? No, bro. It was US dollars. Rans were part of the payment when the U.S. dollars are finished. Wow. Yeah, like, it's U.S. dollars.

Like, you'll get, if you have a six carat that is, like, clear and it's got a nice shape, six carat, you might get it. Good numbers start from six carot going up. If it's clear, clear, and normally the one that you get from the place where I'm talking about, six, seven thousand dollars. Wow. Yeah. If it's very clear, like you can get that.

I mean, but you know. But who did you sell it to though? Because you had to smuggle it so it was a black market. No, no, no. They were buyers there. Huh. Yeah. Straight cash.

Cash and. Are they still hiring right now? No, no, no. I wish. No, like the diamonds in the morning, in the morning. I don't want to get canceled, guys. was a joke right no no don't worry it's a part of life of our country and it's part of history so it's at 6 a.m every 6 a.m. or 5 a.m in the morning the buyers arrive from town from arare from

mutare from machine whatever and we clean our stones in the morning at we because we go and dig at night and then we overnight we walk back from the fields to our base and when we are the best we clean we clean and then we sell to the buyers so the buyers will be there from morning to like midday like 10 10 a.m then the buyers are there and they have clean money but what happens if you caught where smuggling those diamonds i was caught i was beaten by dogs by the german shepherds but i was there the following week after so you you get caught people get killed i've seen people who die and I like at the diamond field was a norm it's either the police might kill you or you might die from the dog uh from the dogs biting you or you might die from um um

they like it's like the mafias within the diamond community they might beat you to death or you if you your syndicate if you do something that is do you might kill you too so it's it was like that's a place where you see with one eye open. My gosh. Yeah, the diamond fields you sleep with one eye open. And- Could you even trust the people that you're working with when you-

When you- I luckily was working with my, with one cousin. In the beginning when I went there, it was a big group. And eventually when you're working, you start figuring out where your luck is, who is lucky, who is unlucky within the group and you're like, I don't wanna work with this guy. He's not, he's not lacking or he's lazy or is,

You know, you just start dividing yourself and you segregate yourself to be working with, okay, I want to work with this guy. Because if you work with one guy and some guys, man, you know, like there's a saying that money sometimes don't go to some people or some good fortune does not come to some people. And there's some people that are like, unfortunately not. Like in this life, we may try to say everybody will make it whatsoever, but there is people that truly try their level best and they still never make it. You know and the reason I like your mining story, my father personally, he worked in the mines for 25, you know, South Africa was a big thing

back then, worked in the mines for 25 to 30 years as well around that time frame. But it was around like two hours away from Johannesburg. It was like a place called Legsdorp. I don't know if you know northwest side. Oh, yeah, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Around there, on Valerleaf side. So he was working there. all like pretty much most of my childhood, before he decided to study law like nighttime, you know, around like working through UNISA, studying his LLB and doing so as well, to the point where when he ended up graduating

and also heading that path of becoming a lawyer, he was getting a lot of like mining clients because it was one of those things that he had that much of experience of 25 and 30 years. So whenever I heard the, you know, the mining story, but people don't know is the fact that it's such a big market in South Africa

you know Kimberley diamonds everywhere you know yeah I heard about those diamonds when I was in South Africa when I was in South Africa I'll be honest with you when I was in South Africa I was working in Cape Town and I heard about the diamonds in Kimberley there I was tempted to go there

because there is smuggling is the same in in Kimberley as it was in But in South Africa, bro, you don't play there, bro. There's guns. In Zimbabwe, the only guns that are there are with the military. Whereas in South Africa, bro, I mean, there's people that have guns, obviously. But in South Africa, damn, bro, you know how it is.

That's the only thing that stopped me from going to do this. Because, yeah, I mean, in South Africa, you don't play. There is guns and the people are ruthless. And I think the guys that do the illegal mining in South Africa are mostly foreigners and the foreigners mostly from Mozambique, obviously some of my people from Zimbabwe, but most foreigners from Mozambique. And you don't play with the Mozambicans, man. Even when we were the diamond fields in Zimbabwe, the Mozambicans, you don't play with

them. Dangerous, ruthless? They're just ruthless, bro. Remember, the war, like, I don't know if the war or something, but, like, they are brutal bro like when it comes to those games they don't they are brutal you don't play with them bro and yeah i mean i have respect for mosa beacons that's all i can say no no that's interesting no now i want to do you always now segueing back now to the ufc i know usually when people have a story i don't want to take i want to respect your time as well no no no don't worry about time

okay when you when people usually have like a resilient story or they've just been been very consistent at just winning. They usually have like a vision they had like previously. Did you always see yourself as a UFC fighter or was it something that? I would be honest, bro. I was going through my charts the other day of my Facebook. I was talking long, long time ago with some lady that was here in America already. Long, long time ago.

I think it's 2010, 2011, bro. And I was chatting with her. I went to this chat on Facebook, you know, Facebook reminds you and things. Then I realized that I actually like almost, like, I almost everything that is happening now, it's almost I said it a long time ago. Wow.

It's crazy. Manifestation. Bro, it's crazy. Like when I was going through my chat with this lady, I can, what is which we were doing this? I would show you. bro like it's it's crazy like i even mentioned that bro i was not even four fighters and amateur and i was telling this lady that i'm gonna go to miami

i was lying to this lady that i was going to go to my army like i was trying to score points it's crazy oh you are living like how long ago was this 211 i'll show you like it's it's it's crazy 14 years ago it's so crazy that this chat like My name is Petronella. Oh, wait. Bro, it's crazy. If you go to the... So you were shy-shying her?

Yes, bro. Yeah, exactly. I was busy trying to say-shaired here, but everything I said to her literally is what's happening now, bro. Like, it's so crazy. But did you have the vision back then, or was it just in the moment when you were saying that kind of stuff? Bro, look at this church, yeah.

I was lying to her. This is what? What was the date here? Six December 2010? Yeah. That's my dream country to be. One day is one day. Nice to meet you on Facebook.

Wow. She was in America. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, I think. Then look at the message, second message, 7 December to credit and she says, hey, she replied to me. and I said, hey, I'll be in Vegas soon for UFC. And I was lying. This is the year that I started fighting. Look at that.

Incredible. It's crazy. And like, bro, it's so, so, so crazy to think that everything that I was writing like came true. And I like, I always say I would be a champion in the UFC. I believe that one day I'll be a champion in the UFC. And bro, like, I want to show you when I was talking about Miami, it's ridiculous. It's like out of all cities, I say in Miami and like, it's crazy that the gods or whoever that listens to what we say and what we want in life always make things happen for us.

No, I completely agree. It's crazy. It's so crazy. If you have a set goal, you work hard, believe long enough, I think things happen for you. Like, it's just the way things have happened for me. My two favorite books, you know it as well. Obviously it's going to be the secret and also think and grow rich. The secret stresses a lot on the power of manifestation and like the outside sources of the universe

and that if you manifest certain things eventually they come to pass, but you also have to act upon that, not just by manifestation itself, but you have to work. Yeah, I have acted upon it. So check here, this other one. Was it dead there? 11 March, 2013. This is the year I turned professional.

Are you still in the USA? One day I would be there and will be there for sure, working hard, working hard to come that side and fight in UFC. This is 2013. Before I was, before I turned. professional. And 2013 you were, that's when you started the EFC, right? Yes, bro. I was, I was still an amateur fighter, bro. Like, it's so crazy that all these things came to pass and like, it's like God listens and I took action and look where I am now.

Like that's why I say to you, bro, even when I fall. I know that it's part of the story. It's going to make sense one day. It might not make sense today. It will make sense one day. Speaking about the fall part, boss, your first UFC fight. Bro, check.

This is what I want to say to you. This is the best part. Out of everything in America, what's the debt here? 2011. 21 February. 21, yeah, 21st of February. Fisher leaving essay to me. I have found a better.

offer in Miami, Florida. I'm shy shy. I'm not even professional. I'm an amateur. I'm trying, you know, like, I'm trying to, you know. Pull a few strings. Yes, bro. Do you see?

I said Miami, Florida, and it's crazy. You literally said Miami, Florida. It's crazy, bro. It's crazy. That's 2011. Yeah, and where are we now? Miami, Florida, during a podcast 14 years later. I tell you, bro, like, everything that I have set out that I want to be has come true.

Some of the things have been delayed before, like, okay, cool. I wanted to have this thing when I'm this age or whatsoever. May not have happened in that time, but they all have happened. I wanted to be a champion in 2024. It has not happened. We are in 2025. Will I be a champion this year? Maybe yes, maybe not.

Will I be a champion next day? Maybe yes, maybe not. I don't know. All I know, I know that I'll be a champion. We will be there. All I know, one day, it will make sense. When we come back, we'll be like, damn, bro, this guy is crazy,

but he actually said his path. Like, but part of it, it's like you go, you have a little drop and you go again. As long as you don't give up, as long as I don't give up, as long as I don't drop my work ethic. Because one secret that I have, I'm not like I like to say this way

I am not the best fighter I'm an average fighter but I know how to win and I am the hardest working MMA fighter in the world wow if you find somebody that says they're hard working more than me I mean obviously it depends on what we mean when we say that I'm the hardest working guy in MMA I work hard and if you find someone

that says otherwise, you've found a liar. That's what I can say. If you find someone that says that they work harder than me, that man is lying. I know that as long as I work hard and I have the belief in my head, I'm going to make it happen. If I drop those two things, my belief and my hard work, then I don't have to fight.

I know one thing. You can go anywhere around the world, any coach that I have ever trained with, anywhere around the world, any coach that I ever train, even there's some that I don't talk to, even any teammate that I don't talk to, even some of them that don't even like me.

They can say 20,000 things about me. Say in Timba is like this, like that. There's one thing that they would never say in Timber is realistic. No, I work, bro. I have been working the same way that I've been working for many, many years, and that's why I am here.

And do you feel like there's a lot of, entitled people that just get stuff without like deserving and they just end up I feel like right now in a generation of where the work ethic is not the same as it used to be you know what I'm saying I don't judge people's work ethic I like my work ethic everybody's work ethic is different some people's work ethic thing they could may think that it's it's hard work but sometimes it's like warm up for other people you what do think is your hard work probably might be my warm-up you know what do you think is your session is my warmer probably so you're the

Kobe Bryant of the UFC is that what you're saying bro I don't know but like one thing I know I've never dropped my work ethic I work hard and sometimes I don't even want to like my body saw or so whatsoever I'm still showing I know I can know what you're saying I've been following your stuff for a while every day when I see your story for the first time yesterday it was the first time I saw you outside you were out and about in Miami it was the first time I never saw you in the gym you in the gym on a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Yeah, but now I try to put less of that outside, you know.

Like one thing I did now and followed everybody on Instagram. I know, and you follow God and two God pages right now. Yes, because that's what I want to see. That's what I want to know. Because, you know what, there's point in time like in my career, I felt inadequate like I'm not doing enough. Even though I know I'm working hard, I feel like I'm not doing enough because I see these highlights of people,

these guys training with this guy, training with this guy, And I traveled and trained with guys in big gyms and I've gone to Russia, I've gone to this place, and I've realized there's one thing only that I need to trust. That's me. I'm the hardest working guy that I ever know. And as long as I work hard and I can keep my head strong here, my power is not in the group.

My power is not in things. My power is in here. and I just want to make sure that I control what I see. Whether I like you, I don't like you, me following you on Instagram or soever. It's not like many people think, like I hired this guy in the UFC message me once, the UFC fighter. He's like, hey, bro, I have followed you three times. They've never followed me back.

I feel like, you know, this is the only way I'm supporting you and you can support me too. I understand where he's coming from. I replied to this guy, I said to him, bro, me following you or not following you does not have a meaning. The relationship I have with you when I see you in person and say, hey, how are you or soever?

That is good more value than me liking your picture on Instagram. Sometimes I like it and passively just pass. And with no disrespect, I need to be there on social media for my sponsors, for business, for the sponsor science and advertisement or soever. And obviously, just have this

presence for the fans and people, but personally right now, at this stage of my career, I feel like I don't want to see anything outside. I want to have real relationships, real things that I want to see. Like my, my, like if I have a text with whoever, you, my manager, my coaches, DJ, my wife, Jacob Howes, my, yeah, you know, anybody that I talk to like, like if I'm talking to people, I want it to be, yeah, you know, if you think, you're genuine. Yeah, genuine because sometimes I'm on Instagram I might follow you and I don't even like you you know and I'm just doing it because I don't want to hate your feelings you know and I follow these

god pages because the Bible verses can guide me to to life personally like the Bible verses that I follow and it's consistent and it's consistent and I want to see this when I go to Instagram I want to see this and also I'm a human being I have got emotions jealous is part of it and anger is part of it, all kinds of emotions. I don't want to feel no emotion when I go to Instagram. If I go to Instagram, I'm on a post and leave. I delete Instagram of my phone when I download it. You see I downloaded Facebook right now when you're sitting here. I don't want to be like I go there post and I live. I don't want to have my life controlled by those things. I right now at this crucial point of my career, I need to make sure that I do everything

right and I will never have a regret. If let's say it does not pan out the way I think it can be, it can be. I don't want to have a regret and say I should not have felt that way about that person. If I see you and we see each other, we're in person, it's great. I love that. I think that that's the most important thing right now because all those emotions and the human emotions that come, they come through when you see. If you see a, let's say, on your phone now, you see a lady half-naked.

And you're on your Instagram. There's going to be a feeling that you feel. Temptation. Temptation or anything. No, not even that. You can judge you. And be like, why have people? Yeah.

You, who are you? I don't want to feel these things, whether it's good or bad. I don't want no feeling. I want to focus on, I know I'm good enough. I know I'm self-aware that I'm not the best fighter. I'm an aviary who knows how to win, and I have all the best work ethic, according to me. And that's all I need to know.

When was that decision made? where you wanted to just like switch off two weeks ago and what made what prompted that just because I felt the need to I felt okay cool I'm going back to the in my injury is gone now I'm going back to my full training I'm now focusing on the next fight okay I'll be booked anytime soon from now probably I'm fighting in June I know what I know is I'm fighting in June it's gonna be in Vegas we pushing for Vegas in the National Fight Week yeah June 28, that's what I'm pushing for.

Who see? Is there a fighter out there? Or you don't want to say it just yet? No, I can't say nothing, but I'm fighting in June. What I know is I'm fighting in June. I had a fight offer for May, but I turn it down, not because of anything, just because I wasn't ready mentally to take a fight,

to being a person to take a fight whatsoever. And it just felt like I'll be coming back sooner than I should. I need to do myself justice and prepare for my fights. And I'm going to fight in June. Now, I love that. There's someone out there, I know there's going to be somebody that's going to be watching this episode right now that is going through a transformational period in their life.

It's really, really hard. There's a lot of setbacks. Things are not going their way. And knowing with your experience and your life and everything that you've overcame, what advice would you give that person out there? When things don't go your way, always, like, it comes back to God. I believe in God, so, like, it always comes back to God.

Maybe he doesn't want you to have those things in that time. Maybe he wants you to feel that way in that moment. Because sometimes the lessons are not for us. Sometimes for the lessons are like, I'm sitting here right now and explaining some things of my life that I may need to explain. I lost the last fight. I went through a big depression. I'm sitting at home.

I don't want to wake up. I go and make wrong decisions. You know when you're depressed, you make a lot of wrong decisions. A lot of people, like, I'm glad, you know, that I didn't make extremely wrong decisions, but depression can, people think, like, I would also think, you know, like coming from Africa, being a black guy, I always thought depression, and I'll be honest, I think, ah, depression is for rich people, for white guys, you know, like, I'm black. So this is the honest truth, that word, we always think, ah, yeah, we've got bigger problems, but, hey, it can touch anybody. Depression can touch anybody, and it can happen to anyone, and you might not know what it is. you are there and sometimes it's too late. You understand what I'm saying?

For me, before, I would not say this, but I'm not embarrassed to say it. I go through that and I'm now in a better phase of my life. I made wrong decisions. After my last fight, I was traveling to go to Trinna in Russia, but I'm traveling with a bad, bad injury. And then when I'm there, a week in, I'm like, what am I doing here? In Russia, I should be with my family. And I'm realizing I've spent so much money to be here in Russia. Then I'm like, damn, let me change my ticket.

Let me go back. You know? Wow. I supposed to be there for a month that was there for a week. You know what I'm saying? Because I'm like, I'm trying to train and be thing. All I'm doing is I'm getting fat. Because I'm, yeah, it's so cold that I'm always constantly drinking coffee and I'm staying in my room.

And you're depressed. So you're probably eating a lot. Yeah, you're eating a lot. Yeah, you're eating a lot. Yeah, you're eating a lot. I'm like. And then I really realized, like, what am I doing here? Like, I'm literally getting fat and I cannot train properly.

I'll go to do wrestling. And I'll wrestle for years. But, like, even when I'm doing the warm-up, I'm falling because my leg does not have balance. And, you know, like, it was stupid, but it was necessary because I know now how they train in Russia. I know now how the mindset work in Russia. I managed to meet the Olympic gold medalist in Siddharov. And I had some chat with a chair. chat with him and I learned few things about life and everything and how other people

who make it to the top, top of pinnacle of any sport. And one thing I can tell you is sacrifice. I saw how he sacrificed Siddakov, who is an Olympic champion, world champion many times in wrestling, how he sacrifices. And he's from that town, but when he is competition coming, a big competition, he lives where he stays, his family, whatever, and go straight in there. a resting academy in his room is training or is reading you know like things like that and i learned those things when i was there it was it necessary for me to be there no but maybe if i stayed

here i would not be a pleasant father to my kids when i'm depressed with this loss and thinking about life and everything you know so i'm probably i needed to be away from my family for that period when i came back still struggling but you know work through it and now i'm better i'm the best at the moment and my mind is ready to take on anybody. Wow, I love that mentality. I love that so much. Now, as we, the story that kind of shocked to the world, that kind of sent shock waves, was obviously that post that kind of was very transformative for you. When you posted that $7, Bank of America, by the way, seven. I had to make sure, you remind you, it's Bank of America because it's my bank, So I know the screenshot when I remember seeing it.

It's Bank of America. Just a kid you forget. It's tough. $7.49. I've been an international student myself. So I've seen. He's seen. We've seen.

We've seen. You know, we spoke about it the other time. We're thinking about our freshman year. When you're like, hey, hey, I don't have enough dollars. You know, what can I do over here? You're an immigrant. You are striving to pursue the American dream or a future for yourself. Can you just share that story for you, brother?

That's my favorite story out of it. I have one good friend of mine. Okay. To this day, he's really, we are training partners. Like, you know, in the gym you have training partners. And then you have a friend or two friends or whatever. And this guy is truly my friend. He's from Chile.

He cannot speak. He speaks good. He speaks English, but, you know, we speak our English, that we can communicate between me and him. And he can tell you better. Because, like, when I say, people think that it's like a lie or soever, but he can tell you better that the morning of my friend, fight, he

bought me breakfast. I only paid him back after my fight, his money back. He bought me breakfast because I could not afford my breakfast. You understand? That's how terrible it was. The money I used, it was his card

to pay the breakfast for everybody that was there. Because it's life, it happens. I went there, rode the dice. I came to America to train. I was not even supposed to fight when I came to America. I came to America to train.

And when I was about to go back to Africa, I came here, I think, around end of March. And then we were in April. And then my flight was, my flight to go back to South Africa was 29 April. I remember this. And a week before going back to, a week before I was about to go back to South Africa,

I was starting to be sad. Then the coach actually asked me, say, Tim, but why are you sad? I'm like, coach, you know, I think I must fight before I go back. Why? I'm like, no, I think I must fight. It's like, yeah, don't worry.

You get a fight when time is right. But in my head, I wanted to fight because I knew that if I go back to South Africa, I might not have a chance again to train with these guys. And if I go back to South Africa, I'll be going to the same situation that I left. and even worse because now I'm going back grade I mean UFC fighter grade do I have money to go even pay for my gym that I owned

in South Africa for rent even for rent for my house my wife was working so much and she's a tutor and teacher and she was doing a tutoring business like she would work finish at 8 p.m. starts at 8 a.m. working making money for for us to try and get going you know

and you go back bro life is so tough you know that you won't have you know I came to America with money that was raised by people for me to come here so now I'm thinking to myself if I go back Ash man it's gonna be tough I don't have anything you know

especially rent to dollar yeah bro like I was no like it was tough so I message my manager and I wanted a fight and I message the matchmaker I said please can you if anyone pulls out please I'm going back next week but I would like to stay so I can fight and the book may fight it was 18 May I think 18 or 19 May and I got this fight and then when you get a fight and someone told me oh

Timba if you get a fight and you can ask for meals for UFC meals to you know like they have prep mail prep then they send you meal preps oh then I say thank you I did not even know that you know I got that and then I managed to navigate to the fight but fight week reality kicks in you know you staying at the hotel

I did I'll be honest you know like here in America at the hotel you know how it is at the hotel here when you get to the hotel you have to put your card for a deposit for a deposit yeah we did this happened twice to me

on my debut I did not have money for putting down it because like in Africa we know you go to a hotel it's paid for you go in and you sleep and you leave here you have to put a down payment on a deposit right and first first one when I made my debut I was with three coaches we came here the person that made my my I did not have money for the for my debut for my what do you call it deposit for the deposit Edgar one of the guys from my management he did for us I ask him and even like we're joking around about it last week and I said says when I first met you remember you ask me to do a down payment I'm like these guys from Africa I don't know if I I I want if we put

ourselves into yes what are putting ourselves into you know and you know he did a down payment on that what you call it the deposit security deposit and then on that second one too you know like I did not have money and for this and then he did for me and um You know, I like Edgar so much, this guy. And he did for me again, and we stayed. And yeah, bro, like, it's so tough. And I managed to go through the fight week. And then, luckily for me, during fight week, I get, you get meals at the UFC.

But my teammate that I'm with, that is helping me with cutting weight and everything. But where were you living at this time when you were? No, you live at the whole UFC hotel in Vegas. so like my teammate that i'm with that that we i'm with i'm supposed to provide his food i just said to victor victor brother just pay for everything that you can with your card i'll give you your money back once i finish this fight and he's like okay no no no he's a fighter and he understands that times are tough so that's why like these guys from chile man i i i i win my next fight i would like to get on the mic and say you know when i win my next fight i would like to

on the mic and tried to pitch him up because you know he did a lot for me also and I'm glad that we are back together in the same cycle again in the same team and yeah man he's a good heart and I wish him nothing by the best because you know there's things that you do in life that will always forever mean a lot of people and he did this for me during my fight week the hardest week in the day of the fight I'm sick and the seven dollar came through and I took a screenshot like if I I didn't say if I when I go out there and knock this guy out or submit him and get a $50,000 bonus I'm going to post that hey look at me I already visualize this is the $50,000 but look at the next post I had $7 in the morning and that's how I posted it I didn't get the

bonus on that day but after the win I'm like I still want to share because you know what I was broke in the morning and I came here and I won sick I was I fought with flu during the fight I was my nose was blocked backstage I couldn't even do warm up and I went in there and fought coming to again resilience

knowing that the day of the fight I wake up with flu I'm thinking to myself must I cancel the fight if I cancel the fight great the UFC might have a flight for me to go back to South Africa but I'm not getting paid and then you go home without getting paid

and then now you you've raffled some feathers like bro like it happens it happens that people get injured but if you don't know and you're not in the good books yet with the company they might think that you're being a coward

or you're scared or whatsoever you know like the fear of judgment of what people may think led me to fight with flu I fought with flu and I won and posted about the $7 and when I posted about the $7

it reached ESPN when I was flying in Newark I saw it, it was already on ESPN oh a lot of followers coming on through I remember seeing it on Twitter and then I was doing my in my all my oxen for my fight kid to go and build a bow in my village and then when I did that

when we finished doing the boho on the day we finished building the boho that's when the big man came through the rock and he posted reposted the whole thing and we started communicating in the DMs

and then yeah like we just talked and he said to me hey bro I would like your story is honest with me and I'll be in touch with you soon my team is going to be in touch with your team and when our schedules align I would like to come in some

you and see you know you your story is on Nes with me and I would like to support you Wow and I did not know that the support was coming through in which way so I you know I was surprised and DJ came through and you know he has done still doing a lot of great things for me and it's a blessing to just be in this position but it's time I also, you know, I have to keep going and win. And maybe one day again, someone may come up with a story like this, 10, 20 years from now and it may resonate from me or some story, whatever. And, you know, I might pick one too.

And I think it goes back to the saying you once said, you're not fighting for money, you're fighting for, you know, for freedom. You know, what does freedom actually even mean to you regarding that? I don't think, I don't think, I don't think, that's true. I used to think this way, but I think for me now, it is point of my career. I need to understand what is freedom and freedom is not be fearful of anybody's judgment. Like, I unfollow everybody. I know what people would think, thinks I'm better than them or the thing that I'm special now or it thinks that I'm this.

He thinks he's over here now. Oh, he's over here now. Like, I had a call with some guy from Senegal the other day, and he's like, oh, this guy and followed us and he thinks, like, and I'm like, it's not about you, it's about me. I'm trying to be at peace with myself and conquer my fears. So the biggest fear is like fear of being judged by the world and thinking that everything I do, I have to extend to the world. And I now am, you know, like, when there's a saying that I put on my post every time I post

now that says don't pity me ever because i feel that's disrespect because it's not i am i like that oh my gosh they they like i i have this saying now don't pity me ever they shall be blood when i i fight they shall be blood my blood or the other guy's blood but i don't know that's no matter don't pity me ever you know uh because um i feel like being pitted is nice but also being pitted can be a bad thing because now you base your values and what you do according to what the world wants you to be or the box that the world wants you to fit in and I should not behave certain way I should not post certain things I should not just because I'm fearful to be judged because I come from this poor background I should

remain this way or I should be this way not remain I should be this way I should be this guy if I if I post or I swear it's somebody someone's raised in me or I just don't like you I say something about you I should not say this because you're supposed to be a good guy now good heart does not do to be explained if you have a good heart you don't need to explain to people and not every story needs to be explained if someone has a way or has a thing about the way they perceive you or they want to see you or they can spread the news on say this is guys like this like that like that cool let them believe that i have one good conversation

that is with the men above and that's the only man i fear and that's the fear of that's the judgment of fear that's the judgment of fear yeah that's so powerful yeah and it's natural for us because we always naturally think what people say you know and sometimes you look at the comment section you like one comment you cannot comment on my on my instagram wow uh Whether, like, only these three pages I follow. Can comment because you follow them. But they don't comment, they don't even follow me, so it's good. They cannot, like, whether it's my manager or it's UFC or the rock or whatever

can comment on my thing. I have a relationship that are real with these people. So they don't need to be on social media, liking my post. I don't even look cool. like because this this is where we are at now where like oh i like a picture then i like what you're doing no if someone feels like something i'm doing is wrong they'll message me and if they're truly care they'll message me at my personal phone number hey bro what you're doing is wrong please can you do this you know and we can have a conversation uh hey bro what you're doing i like it give it up

you know things like that those are the meaningful things for me and i unfollow everybody and everybody I think would be expecting, oh, why are you doing this and what so, ever. But I think those that are true to themselves and know the journey that you're in are going to fully understand. It's those people. I don't need them to understand either. I'm at a point of my thing

where I follow who I follow and you cannot comment on my Instagram at all. Not because I feel like they can affect me. Just because I don't want to give power to nobody. My power is here in my head. You know, my power is in my head.

My Facebook is there. You can comment on my Facebook, but I only go post and bounce. I post, I'm out. I post whatever I post and I'm out. I don't go and try to see, read and explain myself to people, whatever. I post and I'm out, and that's what's important for me. It allows me to be present too. That's powerful.

Yeah, it allows me to be present in things that I do. if I'm at home, I'm at home with the kids. If I'm playing with them, my girls, I'm playing with my girls. There's moments and times when I have to watch YouTube. I would watch YouTube and I would go on my YouTube and watch my fights or technique that I want to watch, things that I want to try in the gym. And those are the things that matter. But still, it comes back to me being me. I just want to be me and I just want to be loved, faith.

by my two girls at home. If the world does love me, great. If it doesn't love me, no, it's okay. That's powerful. Yeah, I just want to be focused on my journey, and I know I can accomplish this goal, but there needs to be a big mental shift. One, like, you know, feels like when you have a story

coming from a poor background and rising up or soever, subconsciously knowing or without knowing, you might even become a victim, having the victim team mentality that's why I have this mindset no no hey don't pity me ever I might have a great story of being broke whatsoever I'm no longer broke anymore don't pity me ever because if you do if you are an opponent you're petting me I might end up killing you I love that yeah no and I think that's one of my favorite saying it says be a victim not a victim because yeah yeah yeah I mean I'm not I'm not saying I'm a victim but you know without subconsciously knowing

you might end up feeling. Because people pit you. Yeah, people pitch you, you feel like you have to explain yourself to a lot of people. Yeah, for me,

screw that. I'm not in that phase of my life anymore. My mindset, there's things that I normally would not say. My mindset when I fight is different going forward. And my mindset in life is completely different. And I just want to be able

to have no regrets. If my dream does come true, I want to have no regret. If my dream does not come true, I want to have no regret. That's so powerful. And I kind of want to segue to this. I love my favorite fighters. I just love when I see Africans just dominating like the scene. When I see Israeli Disani, I see Kamaru Usman, I see Francis in Ghanu, I see, you know,

Driggis duplice, I see I see Tember, Gorimbo. Like, you know, when I see Africans at the UFC, that's how, you know, it's exciting. We see the African wave, you know, going up at there. Where do you see the trajectory with Africa and the UFC? I mean, the more Africans that will be in the UFC, the better. And the more chances we have of having many and more champions in the UFC. But one thing that as Africans, we also need to do is be won. you know we like everybody wants to be one uh to be like i also want to be the guy you know like everybody

wants to be the guy everybody wants to be this and that but like if we are one and we try united like first to the guys we are in the ufc the african that are in the ufc right now if we all like come together and we don't have to be buddies whatsoever but just support each other with within our, you know, the small group that is in the UFC right now, we're not competing. We could, I think we should think of this, we're competing against the world. Because like, I think we are the last to arrive at the scene, so we need to compete against these guys and try to show them that, hey, we belong. And I might be training in America now, but my journey started in Danone, in South Africa,

of fighting. And when I fight, I'm representing these things. these people and where I come from. You know, I've been in America for less than two years and it's not like I've been here for a very long time. My DNA, like you guys say,

it's not DNA, RSA, something like that. My DNA is African and everything that I do steal my mindset and the way I work, I've got that African mentality. And I think if we are firstly united, that's great. And the second thing that if we can get more and more Africans in the UFC, I think we'll have more numbers

in terms of champions. But the best way to do it also, U.S. is a business. You've got to understand we have to have the African community supporting and have the knowledge of MMA. You know, fighting is considered sometimes barbaric in where we come from and some parts of the world too. so we need to have people from like the Mexicans they're fighting spirit that's why UFC is more very invested in the Mexican

community because they buy the paper view those Mexicans men and they support each other and I think this is the only way we can also have more Africans in if the community is more involved you know the more we have positive comments from the

African community on the UFC pages and you know things like that, I think that will be like, oh, wow, I think we need to go to Africa. Like, if we have too many negative comments about Africans on the U.S. Beijing or soever, I think it just drifts away from, like, anything negative drifts away, like anything good that may come. You know what I'm saying? I love that.

Yeah, so I think this is where I stand with it. But, hey, I'm not God. I cannot fix everything. I love that. You know, as we conclude right now, I'm so, so grateful for the time that you've taken. I know how busy your schedule is. I know how committed you are. I know how resilient you are towards your goal.

Like just taking like these few hours and time just to sit down with us, we really greatly appreciate you being part of the Coat Winning. I'm excited to share this with the viewers. There's a lot of, I have African community back at home in Utah, actually, about like, maybe over 25. And so many people are looking forward to this, just like my close, like friends as well. So this is an episode that's going to go crazy in South Africa, America, Zimbabwe, we're going to promote it.

Definitely going crazy in South Africa. The last question I always ask every single guest because the podcast is called a co-to winning insights you need today to seize the world tomorrow. In your opinion, Baba, what is winning? for me winning is something that has to do with a lot of things but winning is being able to wake up every morning

there's a mic drop right there yeah like being able to like winning is being able to wake up every morning because that's what I do now I always say I've won when I wake up the first statement I put on my WhatsApp status is I have won

thank you Lord for the victory powerful Yeah, like anything else, it's extra. Like, the first important thing is to understand that when I wake up, somebody is dying. When I wake up, someone is wishing to, you know, life could always be worse. And when I wake up, I always thank God that thank you for giving me two kids that are healthy, a wife that is beautiful and healthy too, myself too, I'm healthy. and these are small things, but they are big things in the grand scheme of things.

Because there's people that are out there that you may not know that don't have these things that are struggling to have these things. And not even having to have millions in their bank account or so. There's small things that I thank God for when I wake up every day. I sound stupid when I wake up, but I always wake up and say, thank you God for waking me up. I've won. And I'm grateful for this victory. And thank you for giving me kids that are healthy, wife that is beautiful and healthy, and the healthy that you have given me, now let me go out there and do what I need to do. Well, no further questions,

ladies and gentlemen, the code to winning insights you need today to seize the world tomorrow. Tembuk, thank you so much, Baba. I appreciate you.