Chipfumbu basks in forbidden MMA dream

Sport
BY TERRY MADYAUTA EIGHT years ago, Sylvester Chipfumbu’s family banned him from participating in Mixed Martial Arts activities due to the violence associated with the combat sport. They could not stand the sight of their beloved son receiving and at the same time delivering vicious jabs, upper-cuts, flying kicks and painful submissions which are all […]

BY TERRY MADYAUTA

EIGHT years ago, Sylvester Chipfumbu’s family banned him from participating in Mixed Martial Arts activities due to the violence associated with the combat sport.

They could not stand the sight of their beloved son receiving and at the same time delivering vicious jabs, upper-cuts, flying kicks and painful submissions which are all popular in the physically demanding combat sport of Mixed Martial Arts, commonly known as MMA or cage fighting.

A product of Gweru’s high-density suburb of Mkoba 11, Chipfumbu had grown up as a humble and reserved child who was never involved in any fights or brawls during his childhood.

Little did they know that their softspoken son, who initially cut his teeth as a champion karateka, before taking up MMA, would rise to become a champion in his trade and on the verge of breaking onto the sport’s biggest stage in Las Vegas, USA.

The Gladiator, as Chipfumbu is affectionately known, was last Saturday crowned the new Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) bantamweight champion after his superb victory over South African Faeez Jacobs at the EFC Performance Institute in Johannesburg.

With the win, Chipfumbu became the second Zimbabwean after Themba Gorimbo to win an EFC world title, and now hopes to move up to the more lucrative Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), which is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Reigning Zimbabwe Sportsperson of the Year Gorimbo, who was in Chipfumbu’s corner during his win last Saturday, is the current EFC welterweight champion and is also on the verge of taking the next step up to the greatest MMA stage, the UFC.

However for Chipfumbu, the journey to the top was not an easy one as he had to convince his parents to support his sport of choice.

“It was very difficult for my family especially my mother, she could not withstand it all,” Chipfumbu opened up in an exclusive interview with The Sports Hub last week.

“At first it was very difficult for her and even now she can’t watch my fights. The best she can do right now is to wait for the result of my fight. I understand her because it’s mother’s love for me.

Chipfumbu added: “Fighting is not easy and it’s very difficult to watch your loved one in the ring because anything can happen in there.”

A product of the Mkoba Dojo in Gweru, Chipfumbu’s initial dream was to represent Zimbabwe at the bi-annual Karate World Championships, which are the highest level of competition for karate organised by the World Karate Federation, after first getting involved in the sport in 2006.

He went on to scoop several local accolades in karate while also representing Zimbabwe at the Zone VI (now Region V) Karate Championships.

Of course, Slyvester himself never envisioned himself becoming a professional fighter, although he had been a hyped karateka since 2006.

While the MMA seed was first sown in Chipfumbu through karate, he grew up with a burning desire to join the country’s military, a dream that he also shared with his younger brother.

But after completing his Advanced Level studies at Budiriro B College in Gweru, that desire to be a soldier disappeared into oblivion.

At that point he was planning to go to university and pursue banking and finance.

However, lack of funds hindered him from attending tertiary education and as a result, he opted to move to South Africa in a bid to continue his karate career, but ended up trying his luck in MMA more by chance than by design.

“I came to South Africa after doing my Advanced Levels when I realised that my mother could not afford sending me to university. That was devastating because I was looking forward to joining my friends at university. So I had to go to South Africa in search of a job.

“To be honest, I never thought I would end up in the ring fighting. I came here (South Africa) looking forward to make a living, but it was not easy to get a steady paying job,” he added.

Upon arriving in South Africa, on a family visit he resumed karate training although not with the intention of becoming a full-time fighter but for his fitness.

“I came to South Africa with no intention of fighting. I came here to also visit my brother in 2013 and then I started training because that was the only thing I had to do.

“At first I was just training at a nearby gym then I bumped into a Mixed Martial Arts gym and training in Western Cape, which ultimately captured my attention that very moment.

“For a start it was not easy to gel in with everyone, but they ended up accepting me and they registered me. But then my family really didn’t want me be a fighter, but I simply told myself that I must do it, I knew what I wanted and realised I could make my own decisions as an adult.

“Of course, it seemed to be disrespectful to my family, but I had to work hard and rise when it seemed difficult and impossible,” adds Chipfumbu.

The now bantamweight champion revealed that the main challenge he faced was to integrate with the other fighters in South Africa, until he started working with his homeboy, Themba Gorimbo.

The 29-year-old, nonetheless, had a storming start to life in the MMA after winning his first four fights against Pieter De Klerk, Lourens Notes, Guy Mongambi and Abdul Hassan.

He, however, lost to Nkazimulo Zulu and Fafa Dwana before he bounced back with a thumping win over Asiashu Tshitamba in 2019.

Although, the Covid-19 pandemic halted his plans, in the end it turned out to be a blessing in disguise for him to focus on individual training and introspection before he challenged Jacobs for the coveted title.

“Of course, it was a painful time for me, and everyone, but we had to focus on areas which we struggled especially mentally conditioning myself.

“That for me was the turning point. I made good use of that time to recover and keep myself sharp so that I could fight. And by the grace of God I won the fight that mattered most in my career.”

He adds that his priority is for now is to be able to successfully defend his title at least twice this year before he takes the next step in his career.

“My goal now is at least to keep this title. I want to keep winning. I want to be a winner because I have been working hard. This year, I hope to defend my title at least twice,” Chipfumbu said.