Gorimbo had used his UFC earnings to send money home to Zimbabwe before Johnson surprised him with a new house in Miami
Dwayne Johnson is paying it forward this week to an up-and-coming UFC fighter he connected with on Twitter over their strikingly similar backstories.
Johnson, 51, shared a video Thursday morning on Instagram surprising Themba Gorimbo, a 32-year-old UFC welterweight fighter who was struggling to buy a house for his family, with a new home in Miami.
“Oh my god, thank you!” Gorimbo ecstatically told “The Rock” when he revealed the surprise.
The UFC fighter fell to his knees and hugged Johnson, who earlier surprised Gorimbo in the gym where the mixed martial arts fighter had been sleeping on a couch as he saved up money to bring his family from his native Zimbabwe and purchase them a house.
“Now there’s no more couch sleeping, this is your house,” Johnson told Gorimbo. “Welcome home.”
Johnson then told the budding UFC star: “This place is yours. You don’t have to think about anything. The only thing you think about is your family, getting them over here, getting them with you, your training and becoming champion.”
Johnson will lease the the home and pay for all expenses for as long as Gorimbo wants to live there.
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Gorimbo’s story was first brought to Johnson’s attention on Twitter in mid-June when ESPN shared a story about the budding UFC fighter having just $7.49 in his bank account.
The fighter had sold gear and used most of his UFC earnings to send money home to his village Zimbabwe, where he helped buy a well so the community had safe drinking water.
The story touched Johnson, who has long been open about the financial struggles he faced early in his professional wrestling career, once famously living out of a car with just $7 to his name before becoming one of the biggest stars in the industry, and later in Hollywood.
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Johnson even went on to name his Seven Bucks Production company, which has produced many of his films and his sitcom Young Rock, after the inspiring story.“This is f’n crazy to see and brings back many emotions and memories,” Johnson had tweeted in response to reading Gorimbo’s story. “$7.49 in this fighter’s bank account. I once had $7 bucks too. I’ve been there on that grind. Got your back, brother. I’ll help.”Johnson had promised the fighter “I’ll be in touch,” and later surprised Gorimbo by sneaking up behind him during a sit-down interview shown in his social media post Thursday.
“It’s crazy what can happen when you are able to tell your story, who you can touch and who you can inspire,” Gorimbo said, before jumping up to hug Johnson when he realized he was behind him.The Ballers star then said that he wanted to take Gorimbo to “a friend’s house,” but when they entered there were photos of Gorimbo’s family around the home and Johnson soon surprised him with a key.
“Your story moved me,” Johnson told Gorimbo. “When I found out you had seven bucks in your bank account, I know what that’s like. I was here in Miami when I had seven bucks.”
Gorimbo promised Johnson he would use the money he was saving up for a house to build another well in Zimbabwe.
“You inspired me to work hard,” Gorimbo told Johnson, tearing up. “I will become a champion, trust me.”
Source: people.com
