Zimbabwean welterweight Themba Gorimbo was looking to snap a two-fight skid when he faced Australia’s own Jonathan Micallef as part of the UFC Perth preliminary card on Saturday.
Gorimbo was competing in his eighth UFC fight, but surprisingly his first outside of Las Vegas. Micallef was looking for his third UFC win in three fights.
On the outside early, Themba Gorimbo nonetheless fired off a kick to the body. Micallef fired one of his own a bit later, while Gorimbo clinched up, looking for a takedown but failing to land it. Gorimbo would find some success with his hands after that, however, though Micallef kept walking him down.
Despite Gorimbo’s hands and kicks serving him well, he clinched up again after that. A grappling exchange ensued, with Micallef reversing, Gorimbo reversing again, and Micallef finally being the one to land a takedown. With over a minute on the clock, Gorimbo was struggling to make it back up. He did make it to the fence, but put himself in danger more than once doing so.
Round two saw Micallef fire an early kick, with Gorimbo answering back with a flurry of strikes. The pair then clinched up, and it was Gorimbo landing a takedown, if something of a sloppy one. Micallef was back up in a heartbeat, but Gorimbo still had a body lock, at least for a moment. Micallef reversed, and chased a single-leg takedown, forcing Gorimbo to hop back to the fence. Impressive balance from Themba, and when they did hit the mat, Gorimbo was on top. With three minutes on the clock he had lots of time to work, but Micallef made it interesting by briefly applying a triangle off his back.
Gorimbo would spent lots of time on top but Micallef would reverse with about 20 seconds to go. He tried to get active on top, but it probably wasn’t enough to steal back the round.
Round three likely had the bout up for grabs. Micallef had clearly won the first round, Gorimbo equally appeared to have laid claim to the second. Micallef’s team urged him to find a finish, but the first half of the frame was fairly even. In the final two minutes, however, Micallef started to unload. He had Gorimbo backed up to the fence, covering up. Lefts, rights, Gorimbo was under fire but he held on. He pressed forward, firing a few punches of his own, but curiously tried for a takedown. He didn’t have it and a moment later, Micallef connected with a spinning back fist.
After winning a split decision, Micallef admitted that he needs to get better, but added “I definitely thought I won that fight.”
Official Result: Jonathan Micallef def. Themba Gorimbo by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
