Latest news with #Saaiman
The South African
30-04-2025
- Sport
- The South African
Cameron Saaiman promises to bounce back from brutal UFC knockout
South Africa's MMA star Cameron Saaiman has promised to bounce back from his brutal knockout defeat at UFC Kansas City last weekend. Taking to social media on Wednesday, Saaiman spoke of a 'challenging last 12-18 months' and said he 'WILL bounce back'. Saaiman wrote: 'I would firstly like to thank each and every person who showed their support. I really appreciate you guys. 'To my team, family, friends and sponsors, 'Thank you for sticking by my side through a very challenging 12-18 months. I am deeply grateful to you guys for always being there through the highs and lows. 'I felt amazing in that cage. It felt like home. So it really pains me knowing that I could not live up to the expectations and standards that I set out for myself. 'I truly love this sport more than anything in the world and I will not allow these losses to define me. 'I know that I WILL bounce back from this. 'Thank you all ' Malcolm Wellmaker's right hand earned him a UFC contract and on Saturday night it earned him his first UFC victory. The 30-year-old bantamweight made a spectacular octagon debut at UFC Kansas City, needing less than two minutes to land a right hook that floored South African opponent Cameron Saaiman. Wellmaker was aggressive from the start, cutting off the cage in pursuit of Saaiman. When Saaiman attempted to punch his way off the fence, Wellmaker slipped the shots and countered with his own, landing square on Saaiman's chin and sending him crashing to the canvas. The official time of the stoppage was 1:59 into Round 1. Wellmaker, known as 'The Machine', improved to 9-0 as a professional. Meanwhile, Saaiman now finds himself in something of a slump after a 3-0 start to his UFC career. He is now heading in the opposite direction, having lost three straight fights. Whether he's given another UFC fight any time soon remains to be seen. Click HERE to watch the end of the fight Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The South African
27-04-2025
- Sport
- The South African
Cameron Saaiman suffers brutal Round 1 KO on UFC return
Malcolm Wellmaker's right hand earned him a UFC contract and on Saturday night it earned him his first UFC victory. The 30-year-old bantamweight made a spectacular octagon debut at UFC Kansas City, needing less than two minutes to land a right hook that floored South African opponent Cameron Saaiman. Wellmaker was aggressive from the start, cutting off the cage in pursuit of Saaiman. When Saaiman attempted to punch his way off the fence, Wellmaker slipped the shots and countered with his own, landing square on Saaiman's chin and sending him crashing to the canvas. The official time of the stoppage was 1:59 into Round 1. Wellmaker, known as 'The Machine', improved to 9-0 as a professional. Meanwhile, Saaiman now finds himself in something of a slump after a 3-0 start to his UFC career. He is now heading in the opposite direction, having lost three straight fights. Whether he's given another UFC fight any time soon remains to be seen. Click HERE to watch the end of the fight Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
27-04-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Heartbreak for Cameron Saaiman as SA star suffers first-round knockout at UFC fight night
A dejected Cameron Saaiman reflects after his first-round defeat at UFC Fight Night: Machado Garry vs Prates in Kansas City. Photo: AFP Image: AFP The disappointment on his face was glaringly obvious as South Africa's UFC bantamweight athlete Cameron Saaiman lined up in the centre of the Octagon while world-renowned UFC ring announcer Bruce Buffer officially concluded the fight. Competing at UFC Fight Night: Machado Garry vs Prates at the T-Mobile Centre in Kansas City, Saaiman suffered a first-round knockout against UFC debutant Malcolm Wellmaker (USA) on the preliminary card of the show in Missouri, USA. Both bantamweights took a moment to make plenty of reads and measure their ranges before engaging early in the first round. Malcolm Wellmaker lands a huge KO with a PERFECT shot on Cameron Saaiman. Welcome to the UFC! 🔥#UFCKansasCity — Verdict (@VerdictMMA) April 26, 2025 South Africa's Saaiman stayed light on his feet on the outside with good foot movement, before targeting the legs of Wellmaker, who kept moving forward, calm and composed. As Wellmaker closed the distance between the two fighters, it was Saaiman who landed the first body shot with a left straight. Wellmaker, with the superior reach, unleashed a quick combination. Still, Saaiman showcased some beautiful head movement and slips that would have been very beneficial later on, had he maintained that sharpness, as Wellmaker is known for his extreme power. It was clear that Saaiman was aware of Wellmaker's plan to use his boxing and thus continued attacking the American's lead leg to try to neutralise his knockout ability. As the athletes moved towards the side of the cage, with Wellmaker controlling the space inside the Octagon, Wellmaker attacked Saaiman's body with a straight jab, which was countered by another lead leg attack from Saaiman. As the distance further closed, Wellmaker attempted to land another powerful hook to the body.
The South African
26-04-2025
- Sport
- The South African
Cameron Saaiman returns to UFC octagon TONIGHT
South Africa's Cameron Saaiman will return to the UFC octagon on Saturday, 26 April at UFC Kansas City Fight Night. His bantamweight bout will be among the preliminary action on the night, with the bout likely to start somewhere between midnight and 01:00 (SA time). The bout will be screened live on SuperSport. Saaiman hasn't fought since losing to Payton Talbott in March 2024 which saw his record drop to 9-2. Saaiman will face undefeated American Malcolm Wellmaker (8-0) who will be making his UFC debut. Wellmaker, known as 'The Machine,' graduated to the UFC via Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS) last year. He boasts six finishes amongst his eight wins, with six by way of KO/TKO, and two submissions. Meanwhile, Saaiman had a hot start to his UFC career, winning a trio of fights following his own appearance on DWCS in 2022. However, he then ran into 'prospect killer' Christian Rodriguez, losing a decision, prior to the loss against Talbott. Result Record Opponent Method Loss 9-2 Payton Talbott TKO (punches) Loss 9-1 Christian Rodriguez Decision (unanimous) Win 9-0 Terrence Mitchell TKO (punches) Win 8-0 Leomana Martinez Decision (majority) Win 7-0 Steven Koslow TKO (knees and punches) Win 6-0 Josh Wang-Kim KO (punch) Win 5-0 Sindile Manengela Decision (unanimous) Win 4-0 Roevan De Beer TKO (punches) Win 3-0 Billy Oosthuizen Submission (rear-naked choke) Win 2-0 Zwelibanzi Ngema TKO (punches) Win 1-0 Corne Blom TKO (punches) UFC Kansas City takes place on Saturday, 26 April at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. MAIN CARD Ian Machado Garry vs Carlos Prates Anthony Smith vs Zhang Mingyang Giga Chikadze vs David Onama Michel Pereira vs Abusupiyan Magomedov Randy Brown vs Nicolas Dalby Ikram Aliskerov vs Andre Muniz Malcolm Wellmaker vs Cameron Saaiman Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
