Cameron Saaiman faced Mana Martinez in an exciting matchup in the early prelims of UFC 285. The South African entered the fight as an undefeated fighter (7-0). Moreover, the UFC bantamweight entered the fight, finishing off his last two bouts. Martinez came into the fight with a record of 10-3 in his 13 professional fights.
#UFC285 Official Result: @Cameron_Saaiman (29-26, 28-27, 28-28) defeats Mana Martinez by Majority Decision.
All Fight Results ➡️: https://t.co/RCW4SDqW7D
— UFC News (@UFCNews) March 5, 2023
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Official Result: Majority Decision to Cameron Saaiman.
The controversial decision saw the South African take the win. Despite multiple illegal blows, the judges scored the contest in the favor of the 22-year-old. Moreover, the fans have given a critical reaction to the fight and criticized the winner owing to his words.
Fans react to controversial win at UFC 285
The fans gave their reaction to the controversial win by Cameron Saaiman. Despite a point deduction, the judges gave him the bout in a majority decision. The fans had their say on Twitter.
"I'm not a dirty fighter" sounds great but when you commit multiple fouls per fight it's hard not to label you a certain way. #UFC285
— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) March 5, 2023
This is 5 fouls in 2 fights for Saaiman. new record? #UFC285
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) March 5, 2023
No point deduction from Herb Dean for an egregious eye poke… #UFC285
— Adam Martin (@MMAdamMartin) March 5, 2023
So many illegal blows #UFC285
— Morning Kombat (@morningkombat) March 5, 2023
Uh, those were fingers directly in the eye. Herb Dean should take another point. #UFC285
— Adam Martin (@MMAdamMartin) March 5, 2023
Cameron Saaiman has landed more groin strikes than takedowns in his octagon career. #UFC285
— RJ Clifford (@RJcliffordMMA) March 4, 2023
Although, the 22-year-old also said that he is not here in the UFC to be a “dirty fighter“. Fans, however, were not having it owing to the illegal blows. Moreover. the UFC bantamweight apologized to the audience and the city of Vegas after the fight. Furthermore, the South African fighter looked excited and appreciated the crowd for their support.
“Eye pokes are the worst [foul in MMA]”, uttered Joe Rogan in the third round as Saaiman went for an unintentional eye poke.
How did the fight pan out?
Round one started with both fighters engaging in a standup fight. Both threw some good strikes throughout the bout. However, the controversial round saw Saaiman getting two low blows in the first round. Herb Dean asked the judges to take one point off from the 22-year-old.
Round two also saw the same story as the fighters engaged with each other equally. However, the third round again saw significant strikes go back and forth. Moreover, there was a clear eye poke from Saaiman in the third round as Herb Dean took cognizance.
What did you think about the fight? Let us know what you think in the comments.
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Written by
Edited by
Vineet Nandwana