Cameron Saaiman def. Terrence Mitchell at UFC 290: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Cameron Saaiman’s first-round TKO win over Terrence Mitchell at UFC 290 in Las Vegas.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Cameron Saaiman[/autotag]’s first-round TKO win over [autotag]Terrence Mitchell[/autotag] at UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Photos by Stephen R. Sylvanie, USA TODAY Sports)

UFC 290 video: South Africa’s Cameron Saaiman makes quick work of Terrence Mitchell

Cameron Saaiman declared the South African takeover is underway after he pounded UFC debutant Terrence Mitchell for a first-round finish.

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 [autotag]Cameron Saaiman[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) continued his winning ways when he finished promotional debutant [autotag]Terrence Mitchell[/autotag] (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.

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:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (June 19-25)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by a promotion from June 19-25.

Cameron Saaiman gets new UFC 290 opponent after Christian Rodriguez withdrawal

Rising South African Cameron Saaiman has a new UFC 290 opponent after Christian Rodriguez’s recent withdrawal due to injury.

Rising South African bantamweight [autotag]Cameron Saaiman[/autotag] has a new UFC 290 opponent.

With Christian Rodriguez out due to injury, “The Ultimate Fighter 24” cast member [autotag]Terrence Mitchell[/autotag] (15-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is expected to face Saaiman (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) on the prelims of the July 8 event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of it but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Verbal agreements are in place with bout contracts already issued.

Mitchell, 33, enters his UFC debut on a 12-fight winning streak. All of his career wins have come inside the distance. In 2016, Mitchell competed on “TUF 24,” and lost an exhibition bout to future UFC interim title challenger Kai Kara-France.

Since the reality series, Mitchell has competed four times in seven years with all bouts on the Alaska regional scene, where all of his professional fights have taken place.

[lawrence-related id=2652375,2652369]

Saaiman, 22, has won both of his UFC bouts after a contract-earning performance on “Dana White’s Contender Series” in August. He made his promotional debut in December when he finished Steven Koslow with punches. In March, Saaiman defeated Mana Martinez via majority decision.

With the addition, the UFC 290 lineup includes:

  • Champion Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez – for featherweight title
  • Champion Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja – for flyweight title
  • Dricus Du Plessis vs. Robert Whittaker
  • Dan Hooker vs. Jalin Turner
  • Tresean Gore vs. Bo Nickal
  • Niko Price vs. Robbie Lawler
  • Sean Brady vs. Jack Della Maddalena
  • Denise Gomes vs. Yazmin Jauregui
  • Jesus Aguilar vs. Shannon Ross
  • Vitor Petrino vs. Marcin Prachnio
  • Kamuela Kirk vs. Esteban Ribovics
  • Jimmy Crute vs. Alonzo Menifield
  • Terrence Mitchell vs. Cameron Saaiman

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (May 1-7)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from May 1-7.

UFC 290 adds rising prospect battle: Christian Rodriguez vs. Cameron Saaiman

The card scheduled for UFC International Fight Week adds Christian Rodriguez vs. Cameron Saaiman.

Two rising prospects in the UFC bantamweight division are set to collide during International Fight Week.

[autotag]Christian Rodriguez[/autotag] and [autotag]Cameron Saaiman[/autotag] are expected to fight July 8 at UFC 290, which takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Two people with knowledge of the targeted matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Eurosport NL first reported the news Thursday.

Rodriguez (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) picked up his second promotional victory at UFC 287 in April when he upset teenage sensation Raul Rosas Jr. in a fairly dominant unanimous decision showing. The victory extended his winning streak to two, paired with a quick submission of Joshua Weems in October.

Saaiman (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) is 22, making him one of the youngest fighters on the UFC roster. So far, Saaiman has defeated Steven Koslow by TKO and Mana Martinez by majority decision.

With the addition, the UFC 290 lineup includes:

  • Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez – for featherweight title
  • Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja – for flyweight title
  • Dricus Du Plessis vs. Robert Whittaker
  • Tresean Gore vs. Bo Nickal
  • Niko Price vs. Robbie Lawler
  • Dan Hooker vs. Jalin Turner
  • Sean Brady vs. Jack Della Maddalena
  • Christian Rodriguez vs. Cameron Saaiman
  • Denise Gomes vs. Yazmin Jauregui
  • Jesus Aguilar vs. Shannon Ross

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.

Cameron Saaiman breaks down why groin shots were a thing again at UFC 285

Cameron Saaiman moved to 2-0 in the UFC with a win over Mana Martinez, but for the second straight fight he lost a point for low blows.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Cameron Saaiman[/autotag] beat Mana Martinez with a majority decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 285 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Saaiman, who lost a point for a second low blow – the same as what happened in his UFC debut.

UFC 285 post-event facts: Jon Jones enters a class of his own with heavyweight title win

The numbers show Jon Jones stands in rarified air after making it 15-0 in title fights when he claimed heavyweight gold at UFC 285.

The biggest UFC event of 2023 thus far delivered in spades Saturday with UFC 285 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The 14-fight lineup featured eight finishes and two new champions crowned.

In the main event, [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) returned from a 37-month layoff and joined an exclusive club of two-division titleholders. The former longtime light heavyweight champion captured heavyweight gold with a first-round submission of [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC).

The co-headliner saw [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) pull off one of the biggest title-fight upsets in recent memory when she dethroned [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] (23-4 MMA, 12-3 UFC) with a fourth-round submission to capture the women’s flyweight title.

For more on the numbers coming out of both championship contests, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 285.

UFC 285 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Jon Jones nets $32,000 in octagon return

Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane both received an equal $32,000 in UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay for their UFC 285 title fight.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 285 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $282,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 285 took place at T-Mobile Arena. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC 285 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jamie Pickett[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Trevin Jones[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Marc-Andre Barriault[/autotag]: $6,000
def.[autotag]Julian Marquez[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Ian Garry[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Song Kenan[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Cameron Saaiman[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mana Martinez[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Tabatha Ricci[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Jessica Penne[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Farid Basharat[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Da’Mon Blackshear[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Loik Radzhabov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Esteban Ribovics[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $1,440,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $15,959,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 285.

UFC 285 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC 285 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.

LAS VEGAS – UFC 285 took place Saturday with 14 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner and guest fighter interviews from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

You can hear from all the UFC 285 winners and more by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.