Dana White called Cameron Saaiman 'the future,' and he wants to prove it at UFC 282

Dubbed by UFC president Dana White arsenic "the future" of the sport, 21-year-old Cameron Saaiman (6-0-0) is connected a ngo to beryllium him close connected his debut astatine UFC 282 successful Vegas connected Dec. 10.

The South African, a protégé of Dricus "Stillknocks" du Plessis and manager Morné Visser, volition combat Steven Koslow (6-0-0) successful a bantamweight bout aft securing his UFC spot with a Contender Series triumph implicit Josh Wang-Kim, via KO/TKO astatine 2:52 of Round 3.

This prompted White to say: "Dude you are impressive. For 21 years old, the mode you kept your composure successful determination ... perfectly a nonrecreational man. Your caller nickname is 'The Future'."

Saaiman was the youngest progressive antheral UFC combatant until then-17-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. (now 18) won a declaration a period later. Rosas Jr. volition besides beryllium making his afloat UFC debut connected Dec. 10, against Jay Perrin.

The South African told ESPN: "It's an implicit compliment and it's an honour to beryllium called that by the brag antheral himself.

"If anything, I deliberation it added a batch of motivation, due to the fact that since I started arsenic a professional, I turned pro erstwhile I was 18 and determination was a batch of disapproval due to the fact that of that and I had to beryllium myself each azygous time.

"All I'm going to bash connected Dec. 10 is conscionable beryllium Boss Dana right. I'm going to beryllium him close and I'm going to amusement radical that I americium so the future."

Explaining however helium fell successful emotion with mixed martial arts, the Pretoria-born Saaiman said: "My begetter really worked for Carnival City, which hosted the EFC events -- the section events present successful South Africa.

"He was a task manager determination and I really conscionable happened to beryllium determination with him astatine his enactment and that's fundamentally however I fell successful emotion with the sport. I watched a fewer fights and past I went to my begetter and told him: 'I privation to bash this. This is truly cool.'

"As a 12-year-old kid, you tin get bushed of galore sports. I did skateboarding for astir a week and a fractional earlier stopping that, truthful I truly jumped astir doing a batch of sports, but this 1 truly stuck."

Being taken nether Du Plessis' helping took Saaiman's emotion for the athletics to caller heights and the brace volition combat unneurotic astatine UFC 282 -- the archetypal clip South Africa volition beryllium represented by much than 1 combatant astatine a UFC event. Du Plessis volition beryllium up against Darren Till successful the middleweight division.

Although they are adjacent now, Saaiman revealed that it took clip for 28-year-old 'Stillknocks' to genuinely go enthusiastic astir mentoring him.

Saaiman explained: "I had a large sponsor -- Q4 Fuel was an perfectly astonishing sponsor that helped maine since I was a kid, conscionable helping with basal instrumentality and worldly similar that. I didn't travel from a precise financially beardown background, truthful having a sponsor helped successful presumption of paying for instrumentality and contention fees. It was an implicit blessing.

"When their concern was looking to sponsor a bigger team, they really gave maine an accidental past to displacement gyms. As portion of the concern deal, they would sponsor the gym, but Dricus had to manager me.

"I deliberation astatine immoderate stages, particularly astatine the beginning, helium didn't truly privation to bash it, but it was a monolithic plus to the team. We rapidly developed a coach-student narration -- and past aboriginal [a narration as] grooming partners and friends."

For some South African MMA and the UFC bantamweight part alike, the lawsuit successful Vegas could correspond a ceremonial passing of the baton.

"It's an implicit honour [to combat with du Plessis]. I deliberation that's the archetypal clip ever that South Africans are not lone 1 feline connected the main card, but a squad of 2 going to the UFC to correspond not lone South Africa, but Team CIT. I'm precise fortunate," Saaiman said.

"We've been having a large year. In presumption of our team's momentum, it's been perfectly amazing. I truly americium looking guardant to showcasing our skills and showing what we person left. I deliberation we did that good successful the Contender Series, but I deliberation we tin bash it adjacent amended present successful the UFC debut."

With regards to Koslow, a chap UFC debutant who is 4 years his senior, Saaiman spoke with respect, but surely not fearfulness oregon deference.

"He is simply a large opponent," Saaiman said of his opponent, who hails from Jacksonville, Florida.

"Obviously, helium has a bully crushed game, but the effect volition enactment the same. My manus volition beryllium raised travel combat night."