Athletes
Cameron Saaiman Was Destined To Face Christian Rodriguez
After Originally Being Scheduled To Face Rodriguez at UFC 280, Saaiman Knew The Two Would Eventually Cross Paths
It’s been over a year since Cameron Saaiman first competed inside the UFC APEX on Dana White’s Contender Series. A third-round knockout secured Saaiman’s first contract in the UFC and, since then, it’s been nothing but success inside the Octagon for the South African. He has spent his first three UFC fights inside T-Mobile Arena on pay-per-view cards with large crowds. But Saaiman is looking forward to competing in the APEX again.
“The APEX is amazing,” Saaiman said. “I think it has another vibe because it’s really close and it's more personal. You can hear the shots thrown. Watching APEX events is absolutely amazing. Hearing corner advice, stuff like that. Getting the opportunity to compete in an APEX event is amazing. Uncle Sean Shelby wanted this fight to happen and I'm glad it could happen here because now we can go 3-0 for the year.”
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The 22-year-old has made a splash since he made his UFC debut last December at UFC 282 against Steven Koslow. He earned a third-round stoppage and a Performance of the Night bonus that night. He followed up that performance with a majority decision win over Mana Martinez at UFC 285 and, most recently, stopped Terrence Mitchell in the first round at UFC 290.
Competing on the highest stage in mixed martial arts in no easy task, especially doing it at the age of 22, but, over the past year, Saaiman has adjusted to life under the bright lights well.
“It's deep waters and you need to learn how to swim; not only swim, but swim well,” Saaiman said. “My focus is going out there and putting up a great performance, whether that is in a schoolyard in front of two people or 10,000. We want to fundamentally apply what we have been training for 8 to 12 weeks and we want to get a bonus and, with that, we need to stay level-headed, stay composed, but also push the pace.”
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His opponent this weekend is one that he was set to face at UFC 290 in July, Christian Rodriguez. Unfortunately, Rodriguez had to pull out from the fight due to injury, which set Saaiman up to face Mitchell, but the fight got rebooked for October 14th inside the UFC APEX.
Saaiman knew that this fight with Rodriguez would always come to life.
“There's a handful of bantamweights that even since I was an amateur, you would see these guys, watch their fights, and you just get this feeling that this fight is bound to happen somewhere down the line, and Christian Rodriguez is one of them,” Saaiman said. “There are a few other bantamweights that I know within my heart we will face each other one day, but I'm glad he recovered from his injuries. That was one of the fights that I thought if it doesn't happen now, it's going to happen in a few years from now and I'm glad it's happening now.”
Last time out, Rodriguez faced 18-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. at UFC 287 in Miami. Saaiman had his eyes on that fight and had a prediction before the fight even started.
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“The moment that fight got announced, I told everyone, that's a bad fight for Rosas,” Saaiman said. “This is stylistically not a good fight for him and in the fight, I got proven right. I wasn't surprised at the performance at all. I actually thought that Rodriguez was going to win, and I'm happy he did because that makes this fight just so much bigger. He went out there again, showed that composure, that type of patience he needed to, and showed durability in that fight, as well. My gas tank is one of my biggest weapons and I'm looking to test that come fight night.”
A win over Rodriguez would put Saaiman at 3-0 for the year and 4-0 inside the Octagon, with a spot in the rankings within arm’s reach now. Having never lost in his professional career, Saaiman wants to show another level to his game and to the rest of the bantamweight division.
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And of course, Saaiman wants to walk out of the APEX with an extra 50k in the hopes of buying himself a new house.
“I think my stock rises after this finish,” Saaiman said. “I've been super active. Fighting four times in 11 months is a tall task, but if my body allows, we will get in there as quickly as possible. The whole division is super dynamic with a new champion at the top, so it’s also making it a lot of fun. I'm on a new five-fight deal, so let's kick two more bantamweight asses before we move into that Top 15 ranking.”
UFC Fight Night: Yusuff vs Barboza took place live from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 14, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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