One of the youngest prospects in the UFC keeps rolling.
At UFC 290 on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, South Africa’s Cameron Saaiman (8-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) continued his winning ways when he finished promotional debutant Terrence Mitchell (16-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) with ground-and-pound at 3:10 of Round 1.
A heavy favorite, Saaiman, 22, showed why against Alaska’s Mitchell. When Mitchell took him down early, Saaiman threatened with a guillotine choke as the crowd murmur became a low roar. Mitchell eventually popped out and ended up on top. Saaiman got to his feet, took Mitchell down, threatened a guillotine, and then moved to mount. Some short punches was all that was needed for referee Mark Smith to step in and save the trapped Mitchell.
Saaiman with the first round finish 🔥 #UFC290 pic.twitter.com/fMVyRyZSJ6
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 8, 2023
After the fight, Saaiman declared a South African takeover as he praised teammate and friend Dricus Du Plessis, who was set to compete on the main card vs. Robert Whittaker.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 290 results include:
- Cameron Saaiman def. Terrence Mitchell via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:10
- Jesus Aguilar def. Shannon Ross via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 0:17
- Esteban Ribovics def. Kamuela Kirk via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.
