Themba Gorimbo won't give up his couch at the gym just yet ... 'cause even after Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson bought him a new apartment, the UFC star tells TMZ Sports he'll still be catching Zs on that sofa!!
"It belongs to me," Gorimbo said about his beloved furniture he famously rested on at his gym in Florida.
"When the fight camp kicks in, six weeks from the fight, I'll probably go back to the gym and sleep on that couch."
Don't get it twisted, Themba LOVES the apartment The Rock hooked him and his family up with earlier this year -- as a matter of fact, Gorimbo was sitting in the living room when we spoke with him.
But, that gym couch has sentimental value and serves as a reminder ... as it's the bed Gorimbo slept on during the start of his UFC career, before he linked up with the WWE legend.
Gorimbo added he still can't wrap his head around the great lengths Johnson has gone to help him out after hearing about how he only had $7 to his name.
"With the blessing that he gave me, you know, giving me a place to stay, and having to do everything that he's done for me ... for me, it's a blessing from God," the 11-4 fighter said. "It is really, really, really surreal."
Gorimbo says everything The Rock has done for him has made him more determined to become a UFC champion ... and it's also placed a target on his back amongst other fighters.
Gorimbo -- who won his last fight against Takashi Soto in May -- isn't fazed at all ... and is anticipating his next match in December.
"I believe that once we sign a fight to fight each other, I'm gonna beat you and I'm gonna win," Gorimbo said.
Gorimbo also told us he's excited for his next mission in his country of Zimbabwe ... and that's to help restore vision for the elderly and provide eye care.