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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Matt Erickson and Ken Hathaway

Cameron Saaiman wants on London card, then will make push for UFC South Africa

LAS VEGAS – Cameron Saaiman beat Steven Koslow with third-round TKO Saturday to open up the preliminary card at UFC 282 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Saaiman, a Dana White’s Contender Series product who picked up a win and bonus in his UFC debut.

Steven Koslow vs. Cameron Saaiman

Dec 10, 2022; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Cameron Saaiman (red gloves) reacts to after fighting Steven Koslow (blue gloves) during UFC 282 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Result: Cameron Saaiman def. Steven Koslow via TKO (punches, knees) – Round 3, 4:13
Updated records: Saaiman (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC), Koslow (6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Key stat: Although Koslow landed five takedowns, Saaiman outstruck him 105-20.

Saaiman on the fight's key moment

Dec 10, 2022; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Cameron Saaiman (red gloves) fights Steven Koslow (blue gloves) during UFC 282 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

“I definitely underestimated how tight he was on the ground. I do have a lot of faith in my grappling, as well, but he was super tight. A lot of stuff we wanted to implement just took a little longer.”

Saaiman on getting his debut win

Dec 10, 2022; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Cameron Saaiman (red gloves) reacts during the fight against Steven Koslow (blue gloves) during UFC 282 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

“(I’m) super grateful for the whole experience. It’s been absolutely amazing. We’ve been here for 12 days. Traveling from South Africa is a tall task – acclimatizing and all that. It’s been really awesome. Fight Week was absolutely amazing.”

Saaiman on what he wants next

Dec 10, 2022; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Cameron Saaiman (red gloves) fights Steven Koslow (blue gloves) during UFC 282 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

“After this experience, coming off the Contender Series jumping onto a pay-per-view card, it comes with a lot of pressure. Going through this, I know I can handle that. I want to go to London. I want to experience their fans just like I experienced the Vegas ones, and I think that’s a massive card I would like to be a part of.”

To hear more from Saaiman, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 282.

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