Cameron Saaiman
Born (2000-12-20) 20 December 2000
Pretoria, South Africa
NicknameMSP
Height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight135 lb (61 kg; 9 st 9 lb)
DivisionBantamweight
Reach67 in (170 cm)[1]
StanceSouthpaw
Fighting out ofPretoria, South Africa
TeamTeam CIT
Years active2019–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total10
Wins9
By knockout6
By submission1
By decision2
Losses1
By decision1
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Cameron Saaiman (born 20 December 2000) is a South African mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Background

Saaiman was born on 20 December 2000 in Pretoria, South Africa. He began training in kickboxing and mixed martial arts at the age of 12. Saaiman was a South African champion in K-1 kickboxing before focusing on MMA.[2] His nickname, MSP, stands for "Most Savage Player" and was given to him by his coach.[3]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Saaiman won his first five MMA bouts in the South African promotion Extreme Fighting Championship. In his fifth fight, Saaiman defeated Sindile Manengela by unanimous decision to win the EFC Bantamweight Championship.[4]

On 23 August 2022, Saaiman faced Josh Wang-Kim at Dana White's Contender Series 51. Saaiman knocked out Wang-Kim with a punch in the third round and was awarded a contract with the UFC for his performance.[5]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Saaiman was scheduled to make his UFC debut against Ronnie Lawrence on 10 December 2022 at UFC 282. However, Lawrence withdrew and was replaced by Steven Koslow.[6] Saaiman won the fight by technical knockout in round three.[7]

Saaiman then faced Leomana Martinez on 4 March 2023 at UFC 285. He was deducted a point in round two for a low blow, but nonetheless won the fight via majority decision.[8]

Saaiman was scheduled to face Christian Rodriguez on 8 July 2023 at UFC 290.[9] However, Rodriguez pulled out in late June due to injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer and former The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions cast member Terrence Mitchell.[10] He won the fight via technical knockout in the first round.[11]

The match between Saaiman and Christian Rodriguez was rescheduled for 14 October 2023, at UFC Fight Night 230.[12] At the weigh-ins, Rodriguez weighed in at 140 pounds, four pounds over the bantamweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Rodriguez was fined a percentage of his purse, which went to Saaiman.[13] Saaiman lost the fight via unanimous decision.[14]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
10 matches 9 wins 1 loss
By knockout 6 0
By submission 1 0
By decision 2 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 9–1 Christian Rodriguez Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Yusuff vs. Barboza October 14, 2023 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Catchweight (140 lb) bout; Rodriguez missed weight.
Win 9–0 Terrence Mitchell TKO (punches) UFC 290 8 July 2023 1 3:10 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 8–0 Leomana Martinez Decision (majority) UFC 285 4 March 2023 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Saaimann was deducted 1 point in round 1 due to multiple groin strikes.
Win 7–0 Steven Koslow TKO (knees and punches) UFC 282 10 December 2022 3 4:13 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Performance of the Night.
Win 6–0 Josh Wang-Kim KO (punch) Dana White's Contender Series 51 23 August 2022 3 2:52 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 5–0 Sindile Manengela Decision (unanimous) EFC 94 4 June 2022 5 5:00 Johannesburg, South Africa Won the EFC Bantamweight Championship.
Win 4–0 Roevan De Beer TKO (punches) EFC 92 5 March 2022 1 N/A Johannesburg, South Africa
Win 3–0 Billy Oosthuizen Submission (rear-naked choke) EFC 85 8 May 2021 2 2:05 Johannesburg, South Africa
Win 2–0 Zwelibanzi Ngema TKO (punches) EFC 84 14 March 2020 2 3:29 Pretoria, South Africa
Win 1–0 Corne Blom TKO (punches) EFC 83 14 December 2019 1 1:25 Pretoria, South Africa Bantamweight debut.

[15]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Cameron Saaiman". UFC. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  2. ↑ Bitter, Shawn (7 October 2021). "10 Regional MMA Prospects You Might Not Know About". The Scrap. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  3. ↑ Pandey, Pranav (6 July 2023). "Who is Cameron Saaiman? Undefeated fighter nicknamed 'MSP' set for UFC 290". Sportskeeda. Archived from the original on 6 July 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  4. ↑ Kiewietz, Julian (4 June 2022). "Cameron Saaiman is EFC's new Bantamweight champion". Independent Online. Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  5. ↑ Hannoun, Farah; Hathaway, Ken (24 August 2022). "Cameron Saaiman wasn't sure he'd earn UFC contract: 'Bit of a question mark because of my age'". MMA Junkie. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  6. ↑ Lee, Alexander K. (30 November 2022). "Cameron Saaiman to fight replacement opponent Steven Koslow at UFC 282". MMA Fighting. Archived from the original on 31 January 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  7. ↑ "Cameron Saaiman def. Steven Koslow at UFC 282: Best photos". MMA Junkie. 10 December 2022. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  8. ↑ Erickson, Matt; Hathaway, Ken (6 March 2023). "Cameron Saaiman breaks down why groin shots were a thing again at UFC 285". MMA Junkie. Archived from the original on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  9. ↑ Mike Heck (4 May 2023). "Christian Rodriguez vs. Cameron Saaiman in the works for UFC 290". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  10. ↑ Nolan King (22 June 2023). "Cameron Saaiman gets new UFC 290 opponent after Christian Rodriguez withdrawal". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  11. ↑ King, Nolan (8 July 2023). "UFC 290 video: South Africa's Cameron Saaiman makes quick work of Terrence Mitchell". MMA Junkie. Archived from the original on 9 July 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  12. ↑ News Desk (22 August 2023). "Christian Rodriguez vs. Cameron Saaiman set for UFC Vegas 81 event". itnwwe.com. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  13. ↑ Sherdog.com. "UFC Fight Night 230 Weigh-in Results: Main Event Set; 1 Fighter Misses Weight". Sherdog. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  14. ↑ Dewar, Val (14 October 2023). "UFC Vegas 81: Christian Rodriguez Earns Decision in Thrilling Bout with Cameron Saaiman". Cageside Press. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  15. ↑ Sherdog.com. "Cameron Saaiman". Sherdog. Archived from the original on 4 March 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
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