Last fight
UFC FIGHT NIGHT
Win
Talbott vs Saaiman
Mar. 23, 2024
UFC Spotlight
Stats & Records
6
Wins by Knockout
1
Wins by Submission
3
First Round Finishes
Significant Strikes include all strikes at distance, plus power strikes in the clinch and on the ground.
Striking accuracy
- Sig. Strikes Landed
- 349
- Sig. Strikes Attempted
- 746
A takedown is awarded when a fighter deliberately grapples an opponent to the ground and establishes an advantageous position for an appreciable amount of time.
Takedown Accuracy
- Takedowns Landed
- Takedowns Attempted
- 14
- Sig. Str. Defense is the percentage of significant strikes attempted against a fighter that do not land.
- Takedown defense is the percentage of takedowns attempted against a fighter that do not land.
- Knockdown Avg. is the average number of knockdowns per 15 Minutes window.
Sig. Str. by target
athlete record
Info
Status
Active
Place of Birth
Pretoria, South Africa
Fighting style
MMA
Age
23
Height
68.00
Weight
147.00
Octagon Debut
Dec. 10, 2022
Reach
67.00
Leg reach
39.00
- Pro since 2019
- Six wins by KO, one by submission (RNC)
- Three first-round finishes
- Reported 5-0 amateur record
- Origin of nickname – “Most Savage Player – it was given to me by one of my coaches.”
UFC on ESPN (3/23/24) Saaiman was stopped by Payton Talbott via strikes at :21 of the second round
UFC Fight Night (10/14/23) Saaiman lost a three round unanimous decision to Christian Rodriguez
UFC 290 (7/8/23) Saaiman stopped Terrence Mitchell via strikes at 3:10 of the first round
UFC 285 (3/4/23) Saaiman won a three round majority decision over Mana Martinez
UFC 282 (12/10/22) Saaiman stopped Steven Koslow via strikes at 4:13 of the third round
Dana White's Contender Series, Season 6
Episode five (8/23/22) Saaiman knocked out Joshua Wang-Kim at 2:52 of the third round
When and why did you start training for fighting? I started at the age of 12 after watching a live MMA event. I looked up to how strong, confident, and tough those guys were and wanted to be like them.
What ranks and titles have you held? South African K-1 kickboxing champion. Fightstar Junior bantamweight champion, Fightstar Senior bantamweight champion, EFC bantamweight champion
Do you have any heroes? Both my coach, Morne Visser, and teammate, Dricus Du Plessis, are massive inspirations to me.
What would it mean for you to fight in the UFC? It has been a dream of mine to since I was 12 years old. This has been almost a decade of hard work and I’m ready to roll with the best guys in the world.
What was your job before you started fighting? I was the head coach and owner of the Little Legends program that taught MMA to kids in various locations in our state (Gauteng)
Favorite grappling technique: Guillotine
Favorite Striking technique: Round kick
