Cameron Saaiman breaks down why groin shots were a thing again at UFC 285
LAS VEGAS – Cameron Saaiman 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.
Mana Martinez vs. Cameron Saaiman
Result: Cameron Saaiman def. Mana Martinez via majority decision (29-26, 29-27, 28-28)
Updated records: Saaiman (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC), Martinez (10-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC)
Key stat: Saaiman outstruck Martinez 146-63.
Saaiman on the fight's key moment
“There’s a lot of good I can take away from this fight. Just off the top of my head, I felt much better in there. I felt more calculated. I felt like I’m more present. The first (UFC) fight was just all over the place. My head was quite scrambled. This time, the whole experience was much better. I believe we’ll be improving every single time. I hope I showed that in this performance. And we’ll be showing that again, hopefully in June or July.”
Saaiman on his UFC history of low blows
“I think a massive part of it is pushing the pace quite a lot. It’s very quick in there. He was level changing quite a lot, so it made it quite hard. I think one of those groin kicks, he milked it a little bit, to be honest. But I apologize for that being the case. I’ll be definitely working on that and focusing on not making that mistake again. I know I said that the last time. A massive part I’m taking home with me is just slowing down the pace a little bit. Fighting aggressively is a massive tool of mine, but at the end of the day, if you can’t do that calculated, it can cost you the fight.”
Saaiman on what he wants next
“I would like to get back in here June, July and really make a statement. … (I have) no names at all. I trust the UFC and Sean Shelby to make an educated decision on who they want me to fight next. I’ve never turned down a fight, so, I’ll be ready.”
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 285.
