South African mixed martial artist
Cameron Saaiman Born Cameron Alexander Saaiman (2000-12-20 ) 20 December 2000 (age 23) Pretoria , South Africa Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) Weight 135 lb (61 kg; 9 st 9 lb) Division Bantamweight Reach 67 in (170 cm)[ 1] Stance Southpaw Fighting out of Pretoria, South Africa Team Team CIT MMA Years active 2019–present Total 11 Wins 9 By knockout 6 By submission 1 By decision 2 Losses 2 By knockout 1 By decision 1
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
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
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 .[ 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
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
Mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts record
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
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
References
^ "Cameron Saaiman" . UFC . 20 June 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2023 .
^ "Cameron Saaiman ("MSP") | MMA Fighter Page" . Tapology . Retrieved 10 October 2024 .
^ 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 .
^ 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 .
^ 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 .
^ 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 .
^ 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 .
^ "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 .
^ 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 .
^ Mike Heck (4 May 2023). "Christian Rodriguez vs. Cameron Saaiman in the works for UFC 290" . mmafighting.com. Retrieved 22 June 2023 .
^ Nolan King (22 June 2023). "Cameron Saaiman gets new UFC 290 opponent after Christian Rodriguez withdrawal" . mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 22 June 2023 .
^ 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 .
^ News Desk (22 August 2023). "Christian Rodriguez vs. Cameron Saaiman set for UFC Vegas 81 event" . itnwwe.com. Retrieved 22 August 2023 .
^ Sherdog.com. "UFC Fight Night 230 Weigh-in Results: Main Event Set; 1 Fighter Misses Weight" . Sherdog . Retrieved 13 October 2023 .
^ Dewar, Val (14 October 2023). "UFC Vegas 81: Christian Rodriguez Earns Decision in Thrilling Bout with Cameron Saaiman" . Cageside Press . Retrieved 14 October 2023 .
^ 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 .
^ Anderson, Jay (24 March 2024). "UFC Vegas 89: Payton Talbott Absolutely Dismantles Cameron Saaiman" . Cageside Press . Retrieved 24 March 2024 .
^ Sherdog.com. "Cameron Saaiman" . Sherdog . Archived from the original on 4 March 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023 .
External links