Silva vs. Cong recap: Natalia Silva defeated Wang Cong by unanimous decision Saturday to claim the vacant UFC women’s flyweight title at UFC 332 in Salt Lake City. Silva, 29, improved to 21-5-1 and extended her UFC win streak to eight consecutive victories.
Former champion Valentina Shevchenko vacated the title in September due to injury, opening the door for Silva and Cong to compete for it. Silva controlled all five rounds against Cong, whose previous four wins had all come by unanimous decision. In the co-main event, Payton Talbott finished former two-time flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in the first round at 2:09.
Takeaways from Silva vs Cong at UFC 332
Silva’s elite resume keeps growing
Silva entered with victories over three former champions in her last three fights: Rose Namajunas, Alexa Grasso and Viviane Araújo, according to Yahoo Sports. Defeating Cong, who had won four straight by unanimous decision, gave Silva a fourth consecutive victory over a ranked opponent and her first UFC title.
Cong’s four-fight streak ends in title bid
Cong, 34, arrived riding a four-fight winning streak built on unanimous decisions. She pushed volume and pace against Silva but could not earn enough rounds on the scorecards in her first title opportunity, stepping in after Shevchenko’s injury left the belt vacant on short notice.
Silva-Cong was only decision on main card
The main event was one of only two decisions on the card. Ismail Naurdiev beat Marvin Vettori by unanimous decision earlier in the night. All other bouts ended in finishes, with 12 of the 14 fights stopping in the first three rounds, per ESPN. Eric Nolan’s third-round knockout of Court McGee marked the 23-fight veteran’s retirement after 15 years with the UFC.
Top performers
Natalia Silva (W) def. Wang Cong by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45): Silva improved to 21-5-1 with the victory and now holds a 14-fight overall win streak.
Wang Cong (L): The 34-year-old dropped to 10-2-0 in her first UFC title opportunity.
Silva vs. Cong by the numbers
- Silva’s UFC win streak: 8 consecutive victories since her 2022 debut.
- Silva’s overall win streak: 14 consecutive victories, per UFC.com.
- Cong’s streak before loss: 4 consecutive victories, each by unanimous decision.
- Cong’s last loss: Submission to Gabriella Fernandes in November 2024, per Yahoo Sports.
- Silva’s title history: Beat three former champions in her last three fights (Namajunas, Grasso, Araújo).
- Decisions on the card: Only two of 14 fights went the distance; the other was Naurdiev’s unanimous decision win over Vettori.
What’s next
Silva’s next opponent for her first title defense has not yet been announced. Cong will regroup after her first UFC title opportunity.
Payton Talbott, who defeated Deiveson Figueiredo in the co-main event, improved to 12-1. Figueiredo, a former two-time UFC flyweight champion, drops to 25-8-1 and will look to regroup in the bantamweight division.
Reporting from Yahoo Sports, ESPN, CBS Sports and UFC.com contributed to this story. Official statistics: ESPN (official league data).
