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 Kickboxing is a combat sports, combat sport focused on kicking and punch (strike), punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is pract ...

and mixed martial arts at the age of 12. Saaiman was a South African champion in

K-1 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993, well known worldwide mainly for its heavyweight division fights and Grand Prix tournaments. In January 2012, K-1 Global Holdings Limited, a company registered in Hong Kong, acquired ...

kickboxing before focusing on MMA. His nickname, MSP, stands for "Most Savage Player" and was given to him by his coach.

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. 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.

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. Saaiman won the fight by technical knockout in round three. 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. Saaiman was scheduled to face Christian Rodriguez on 8 July 2023 at

UFC 290 ''UFC 290: Volkanovski vs. Rodríguez'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 8, 2023, at the T-Mobile Arena facility in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, ...

. 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. He won the fight via technical knockout in the first round. The match between Saaiman and Christian Rodriguez was rescheduled for 14 October 2023, at UFC Fight Night 230. 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. Saaiman lost the fight via unanimous decision. Saaiman faced Payton Talbott on 23 March 2024, at

UFC on ESPN 53 ''UFC on ESPN: Ribas vs. Namajunas'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 53'' and ''UFC Vegas 89'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 23, 2024, at UFC Apex in Enterprise, Nevada, Unite ...

. He lost the bout in the second round via technical knockout.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

* Ultimate Fighting Championship **

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

(one time) * Extreme Fighting Championship ** EFC Bantamweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 9–2 , Payton Talbott , TKO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Ribas vs. Namajunas , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:21 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–1 , Christian Rodriguez , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Yusuff vs. Barboza , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Terrence Mitchell , TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:10 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Leomana Martinez , Decision (majority) , UFC 285 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Steven Koslow , TKO (knees and punches) , UFC 282 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:13 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Josh Wang-Kim , KO (punch) , Dana White's Contender Series 51 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:52 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Sindile Manengela , Decision (unanimous) , EFC 94 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 , Johannesburg, South Africa , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Roevan De Beer , TKO (punches) , EFC 92 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A , Johannesburg, South Africa , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Billy Oosthuizen , Submission (rear-naked choke) , EFC 85 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:05 , Johannesburg, South Africa , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Zwelibanzi Ngema , TKO (punches) , EFC 84 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:29 , Pretoria, South Africa , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Corne Blom , TKO (punches) , EFC 83 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:25 , Pretoria, South Africa ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Saaiman, Cameron 2000 births Living people South African male mixed martial artists Bantamweight mixed martial artists Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Sportspeople from Pretoria Mixed martial artists utilizing kickboxing South African male kickboxers