Undisputed champ challenges 6-0 fighter

Undisputed Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) champion Themba Gorimbo has, along with EFC management, weighed-up a pack of welterweight contenders over the last week and decided that undefeated master of mayhem Lyle Karam will be the first contender to challenge Gorimbo in his first title defence.

EFC 84 is set to kick-off the 2020 season on March 14 at Time Square, Pretoria.

A new year always brings revitalised goals and ambitions.

Gorimbo is both a part of this pack and yet identifies as an outlier, having not taken his foot off career campaigning for one second since he wrapped the coveted EFC belt around his waist.

He has made EFC fight call-outs and constantly visualises his hand being raised against the greatest and the most threatening, which now includes the young and undefeated Karam.

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In September, Gorimbo made mixed martial arts (MMA) history by becoming the first Zimbabwean MMA world champion.

In the EFC Welterweight Grand Prix finale, he dismantled his opponent to claim gold and named himself the king of the division, yet he is still to defend his crown, the mark of a tried and tested champion.

He is a man with singular focus, eyes firmly set on becoming one of the greatest to ever have fought in the hexagon and he intends to propel himself to the MMA hall of fame, through systematic challenging, visualising and dispatching of any athlete blocking that proposed reality.

“I wanna fight the best guy that is available right now,” stated Gorimbo recently.

“Lyle Karam is undefeated and has been fighting in Australia as well, so he is the best opponent for me to beat.

“The rest still need to earn their shots.”

Karam, a young phenom still working on breaking down the doors to the MMA main stage, has been given a golden key with this challenge.

He first joined the organisation as a youngster, a local of Fourways travelling to Pretoria daily to undergo training sessions with Dricus du Plessis and Team CIT.

As an accomplished boxer he began building his EFC reputation, running through his opponents and putting his name into the zeitgeist with an impressive four-fight winning streak, with many declaring him as the next du Plessis.

However, tragedy struck and the Fourways boy decided to take some time off and made the move to Australia where he joined one of their premium world-renowned teams, Absolute MMA, a team best known for their superstar list of submission artists, such as Lachlan Gilles and Craig Jones.

After a three-year hiatus from competition, but gaining an internationally forged MMA skill set, Karam returned to action in the EFC hex in October last year.

With a fight-of-the-night performance under his belt and his hand raised in victory, Karam had truly announced himself as a top contender in the stacked welterweight division.

He wasn’t done with the year, however, taking another fight in Australia at the Australian Fighting Championship (AFC), a promotion known for building the likes of Israel Adesanya. The hungry Karam emerged victorious yet again, putting him at a super impressive, blemish free 6-0 record.

“I am going to bring something that Themba has never seen,” responded Karam, revealing his intention to maul Gorimbo into defeat.

“I am going to drag him down to the mat and beat him until he quits.”

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