Christian Rodriguez vs. Cameron Saaiman being targeted for UFC 290 

An exciting bantamweight clash featuring Christian Rodriguez and Cameron Saaiman is reportedly being targeted for UFC 290. MMA journalist Marcell Dorff (@BigMarcel24 on Twitter) broke the news earlier today.

He tweeted:

"A fun bantamweight match-up lands on the #IFW2023 card in Las Vegas on July 8th. Christian Rodriguez vs Cameron Saaiman in the works for #UFC 290."

Christian Rodriguez's stock recently rose when he defeated the up-and-coming Raul Rosas Jr. via unanimous decision. In the process, he took a lot of the shine Rosas Jr. had garnered and bolstered his own popularity amongst fans.

With the win over Rosas Jr., 'CeeRod' improved his record to 9-1 and will surely enter the octagon with an aura of confidence.

His opponent, Cameron Saaiman, is a South African fighter with an 8-0 record, and will be appearing in his third straight pay-per-view event. He came through Dana White's Contender Series and won at both UFC 282 and UFC 285, giving him a fair amount of momentum heading into the bout.

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UFC 290 to be headlined by Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja, card includes Whittaker vs DuPlessis

The main event at UFC 290 will be another bantamweight clash. This time, however, it will be at the very top of the division as champion Brandon Moreno defends his belt against Alexandre Pantoja.

What makes this bout particularly interesting is the fact that the two have a history. Pantoja defeated Moreno via decision all the way back in 2018. Moreno, however, has evolved by leaps and bounds. After his four fights with Deiveison Figueiredo, as well as his win over Kai-Kara France, he is a totally different fighter. Moreno will be keen on getting that one back, making for an exciting fight.

In the middleweight division, what is most likely a no.1 contender fight between Robert Whittaker and Dricus DuPlessis will take place at UFC 290. If Whittaker wins, he will be the only real clear-cut contender left to face Israel Adesanya, despite his two losses to the champion.

DuPlessis, on the other hand, is a fresh face to the division. If he is able to pull off the upset, may get the matchup with Adesanya he has been asking for. Regardless, this fight is definitely one to watch.