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Cameron Saaiman

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Cameron Saaiman
BornCameron Alexander Saaiman
(2000-12-20) 20 December 2000 (age 23)
Pretoria, South Africa
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 MMA
Years active2019–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total11
Wins9
By knockout6
By submission1
By decision2
Losses2
By knockout1
By decision1
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Cameron Alexander Saaiman[2] (born 20 December 2000) is a South African mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Background

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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.[3] His nickname, MSP, stands for "Most Savage Player" and was given to him by his coach.[4]

Mixed martial arts career

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Early career

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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.[5]

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.[6]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

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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.[7] Saaiman won the fight by technical knockout in round three.[8]

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.[9]

Saaiman was scheduled to face Christian Rodriguez on 8 July 2023 at UFC 290.[10] 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.[11] He won the fight via technical knockout in the first round.[12]

The match between Saaiman and Christian Rodriguez was rescheduled for 14 October 2023, at UFC Fight Night 230.[13] 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.[14] Saaiman lost the fight via unanimous decision.[15]

Saaiman faced Payton Talbott on 23 March 2024, at UFC on ESPN 53.[16] He lost the bout in the second round via technical knockout.[17]

Championships and accomplishments

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Mixed martial arts

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Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
11 matches 9 wins 2 losses
By knockout 6 1
By submission 1 0
By decision 2 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 9–2 Payton Talbott TKO (punches) UFC on ESPN: Ribas vs. Namajunas March 23, 2024 2 0:21 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
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 July 8, 2023 1 3:10 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 8–0 Leomana Martinez Decision (majority) UFC 285 March 4, 2023 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Catchweight (137 lb) bout; Martinez missed weight. Saaiman was deducted 1 point in round 1 due to multiple groin strikes.
Win 7–0 Steven Koslow TKO (knees and punches) UFC 282 December 10, 2022 3 4:13 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Saaiman was deducted 1 point in round 2 due to an illegal knee. Performance of the Night.
Win 6–0 Josh Wang-Kim KO (punch) Dana White's Contender Series 51 August 23, 2022 3 2:52 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 5–0 Sindile Manengela Decision (unanimous) EFC 94 June 4, 2022 5 5:00 Johannesburg, South Africa Won the vacant EFC Bantamweight Championship.
Win 4–0 Roevan De Beer TKO (punches) EFC 92 March 5, 2022 1 N/A Johannesburg, South Africa
Win 3–0 Billy Oosthuizen Submission (rear-naked choke) EFC 85 May 8, 2021 2 2:05 Johannesburg, South Africa
Win 2–0 Zwelibanzi Ngema TKO (punches) EFC 84 March 14, 2020 2 3:29 Pretoria, South Africa
Win 1–0 Corne Blom TKO (punches) EFC 83 December 14, 2019 1 1:25 Pretoria, South Africa Bantamweight debut.

[18]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Cameron Saaiman". UFC. 20 June 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  2. ^ "Cameron Saaiman ("MSP") | MMA Fighter Page". Tapology. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ Mike Heck (4 May 2023). "Christian Rodriguez vs. Cameron Saaiman in the works for UFC 290". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  11. ^ Nolan King (22 June 2023). "Cameron Saaiman gets new UFC 290 opponent after Christian Rodriguez withdrawal". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ News Desk (22 August 2023). "Christian Rodriguez vs. Cameron Saaiman set for UFC Vegas 81 event". itnwwe.com. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  14. ^ Sherdog.com. "UFC Fight Night 230 Weigh-in Results: Main Event Set; 1 Fighter Misses Weight". Sherdog. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  15. ^ Dewar, Val (14 October 2023). "UFC Vegas 81: Christian Rodriguez Earns Decision in Thrilling Bout with Cameron Saaiman". Cageside Press. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  16. ^ Calhoun, Curtis (31 January 2024). "Dricus Du Plessis' Surging Teammate, Cameron Saaiman, Booked For UFC Return". MMA News | UFC News, Results & Interviews. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  17. ^ Anderson, Jay (24 March 2024). "UFC Vegas 89: Payton Talbott Absolutely Dismantles Cameron Saaiman". Cageside Press. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  18. ^ Sherdog.com. "Cameron Saaiman". Sherdog. Archived from the original on 4 March 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
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