Natalia Silva claims vacant UFC flyweight title with dominant decision over Cong Wang

Natalia Silva fulfilled what she described as a lifelong dream by claiming the vacant UFC women’s flyweight title at UFC 332, outpointing Cong Wang via unanimous decision at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The belt had been vacated by reigning champion Valentina Shevchenko due to injury, opening the door for Silva and Wang to contest 125-pound supremacy in the main event.

Silva (21-5-1) controlled the fight from start to finish, using sharp speed and elusive movement to neutralise Wang throughout their five-round contest. “The Joker” (10-2) struggled to land meaningful strikes and, despite pressing harder in the later rounds, could not shift the momentum. The cageside judges scored it 48-47 twice and 49-46 in Silva’s favour, a result that reflected her dominance across the card.

In the co-main event, Payton Talbott delivered a brutal statement at bantamweight, stopping former two-time flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo at the 2:09 mark of the first round. Talbott (12-1) dropped the Brazilian with a precise straight right hand and swarmed him with punches to the head and body until referee Jason Herzog intervened. Coming off a dominant win over multi-division champion and Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo, Talbott called out Sean O’Malley in his post-fight interview.

Esteban Ribovics (17-3) earned a first-round stoppage over veteran Bobby King Green (36-18-1, 1 NC) in their lightweight bout, dropping him three times with left hooks before referee Herb Dean waved it off at 4:08. Ribovics was ruled ineligible for post-fight bonuses, however, having missed weight at Friday’s weigh-ins.

Welterweight Roberto Soldic survived a difficult opening round to take a unanimous decision over Kalinn Williams, winning by scores of 29-27 twice and 29-28. Soldic (22-4, 1 NC) repeatedly hurt Williams (16-6) with punches to the head and body and controlled the grappling exchanges across the final two rounds, though he was unable to secure a finish.