UFC 332 title challenger Cong Wang reveals Team Alpha Male sparring partners treat her 'like boys'

Cong Wang has lifted the lid on her preparation for the biggest fight of her career, revealing that sparring partners at Team Alpha Male stopped pulling their punches once they felt the quality of her striking.

Wang (10-1) challenges Natalia Silva for the vacant UFC women’s flyweight title at UFC 332 on October 3 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The Chinese flyweight says the Sacramento-based gym’s training partners — who might ordinarily dial back their intensity when sparring with female fighters — quickly changed their approach with her.

“They will go easy against the other girls, but when they spar with [me], they find the difficulty in the level of striking,” Wang said in a pre-fight interview. “They will go harder. They will even swing against [me]. That’s why [I am] treated like boys in the gym.”

Wang arrives at UFC 332 on a four-fight winning streak, most recently defeating Tracy Cortez by unanimous decision. The level of opposition she faces on October 3, however, represents a significant step up.

Silva is unbeaten across eight UFC appearances and has built one of the most impressive résumés in the women’s flyweight division, with victories over former champions Jessica Andrade, Alexa Grasso, and Rose Namajunas. The Brazilian has yet to taste defeat inside the Octagon, making her one of the most formidable title challengers the promotion has produced in recent years.

For Wang, the intensity of her sparring sessions at Team Alpha Male appears to be a deliberate attempt to replicate the pressure Silva will bring. Whether the respect she has earned in the gym translates into a championship performance on fight night remains to be seen, but her training camp suggests she is being prepared for the full force of what awaits her.