UFC Fight Night 263: Jeremiah Wells vs Themba Gorimbo Preview & Prediction
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Welterweights are on deck for the fourth fight of the main card, as Jeremiah Wells returns from a lengthy absence to take on Themba Gorimbo.
Jeremiah Wells vs Themba Gorimbo facts
What time are Jeremiah Wells and Themba Gorimbo expected to walk out?
Where is UFC Fight Night 263: Garcia vs Onama? UFC Apex, Enterprise, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 263: Garcia vs Onama? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 263
What TV channel is UFC Fight Night 263: Garcia vs Onama on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN+
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 263: Garcia vs Onama? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC Fight Night 263: Garcia vs Onama main card
Steve Garcia vs David Onama (Featherweight)
Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs Ante Delija (Heavyweight)
Jeremiah Wells vs Themba Gorimbo (Welterweight)
Isaac Dulgarian vs Yadier del Valle (Featherweight)
Charles Radtke vs Daniel Frunza (Welterweight)
Allan Nascimento vs Cody Durden (Flyweight)
UFC Fight Night 263: Garcia vs Onama prelims
Billy Elekana vs Kevin Christian (Light Heavyweight)
Timothy Cuamba vs Lee Chang-ho (Bantamweight)
Donte Johnson vs Sedriques Dumas (Middleweight)
Ketlen Vieira vs Norma Dumont (Women’s Bantamweight)
Alice Ardelean vs Montserrat Ruiz (Women’s Strawweight)
Philip Rowe vs Ko Seok-hyun (Welterweight)
Talita Alencar vs Ariane Carnelossi (Women’s Strawweight)
Jeremiah Wells: Does Wells still have what it takes to complete at the highest level in MMA?
Owner of a 4-2 UFC record, Jeremiah Wells (12-4-1) will make his first walk to the cage in over a year on Saturday night. The 38 year old American actually started his UFC tenure on somewhat of a tear, rattling off four consecutive victories punctuated by three vicious finishes. However, a controversial decision victory over Matthew Semelsberger in 2023 seemingly spelled the beginning of the end for Wells’ success in the promotion. He hasn’t won since and enters this contest off the back of two straight defeats, dropping a split decision to Max Griffin and getting choked out cold by Carlston Harris in a fight that he was arguably winning.
Themba Gorimbo: Can "Mamba" rebound from a harrowing loss last time out?
Despite coming up short in his UFC debut to AJ Fletcher, Themba Gorimbo (14-5) would quietly put together an impressive four fight win streak to score the biggest fight of his career against Vicente Luque. Regrettably, “Mamba” proved to be a victim of his own success, getting dropped and choked out cold by the best fighter he has ever faced in short order. The 34 year old Gorimbo has clearly gone back to the drawing board since; Saturday night will mark the crafty veteran’s first Octagon appearance in just shy of a year.
Jeremiah Wells vs Themba Gorimbo prediction
With both fighters returning after lengthy layoffs, it’s anybody’s guess as to what version of the pair shows up in the cage.
Out of the two, Wells’ recent schedule gives more cause for concern. Gorimbo was on a four fight win streak prior to getting throttled unconscious by Vicente Luque last December, while Wells hasn’t won a fight since April 2023. He’s also fought just two times since, with Gorimbo posting more than double the cage time in that period.
The American has been the more consistent finisher out of the pair, and arguably has a stronger chance of ending this fight suddenly. However, Wells hasn’t scored a stoppage since 2022, and it’s also worth noting that brutal KO came over the pillow-fisted remains of Court McGee. He also looked awful against Carlston Harris and Max Griffin in his last two, with the Griffin loss posing particular cause for concern given that “Pain” is contentiously one of the worst fighters currently on the roster.
The younger, larger Gorimbo appears to have more routes to victory here, whereas Wells seems to be utterly dependent on a monstrous KO in order to secure the win. The pick is for “Mamba" to lean on his wrestling to get back on track with an uneventful decision victory.
Prediction: Themba Gorimbo to win
