Sherdog Prospect Watch: Cameron Saaiman

Cameron Saaiman is an exciting Ultimate Fighting Championship contestant who will make his promotional debut at UFC 282. Saaiman, 21, will lock horns with fellow promotional newcomer Steven Koslow in a 135-pound tilt after his originally scheduled opponent, Ronnie Lawrence, withdrew from the fight. Fighting out of Pretoria, South Africa, Saaiman boasts a 6-0 record, including five finishes. Saaiman landed his UFC contract after an eye-catching performance on this year’s Dana White's Contender Series and, for a glorious moment, he was the youngest fighter on the UFC roster before Raul Rosas Jr. was rewarded with a contract four weeks later. Ironically, Rosas Jr. will compete on the same card as Saaiman on Dec. 10.

A former EFC Global titleholder, Saaiman is very young and often shows he still has some ground to cover in the fight game. However, it is undeniable he has already proven his talent. The South African fighter is a heavy-handed, unorthodox striker with a noticeable killer instinct. In spite of his young age, he already went the five-round distance when he upended Sindile Manengela at EFC 94. His next assignment will see Saaiman taking on a pure grappler, and it should be an essential test for Saaiman, who showed some versatility on the canvas when he recorded his first and only submission to date, a second-round rear-naked choke win over Billy Oosthuizen.

What a KO for 21-year-old CameronSaaiman 🤯! #DWCS pic.twitter.com/9dfxGVYMSX

— UFC (@ufc) August 24, 2022

Saaiman spent most of his career under the EFC Global banner, where he made his professional debut at EFC 83 on Dec. 14, 2019. On that occasion, he stopped his adversary 85 seconds into their contest. Saaiman quickly climbed the rankings in his subsequent cage appearances until he defeated divisional kingpin Manengela. His skills and talent were noticed overseas, and Saaiman received a call from DWCS, where he clashed with Legacy Fighting Alliance and Cage Warriors Fighting Championship alum Josh Wang Kim. In his toughest test to date, Saaiman had to overcome adversity in the opening frame, where his foe was the most hostile. Starting Round 2, Saaiman felt more at ease, and his combinations landed more precisely. After taking his opponent’s measures, Saaiman clipped Kim with a perfectly-timed left hook on the chin, which made Kim face plant on the canvas. Now, Saaiman needs to showcase his power in front of the biggest audience of all in the UFC.