Wang Cong blames first-round eye poke for slow start in UFC 332 title loss to Natalia Silva

Wang Cong has attributed her sluggish start in Saturday’s UFC 332 main event to an eye poke suffered in the first round, posting her first public statement since Natalia Silva claimed the vacant UFC women’s flyweight title by unanimous decision at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

Silva controlled much of the contest and appeared to be cruising toward the championship, though Wang began to find her rhythm in the later rounds — most notably the fifth — before the judges’ scorecards confirmed what the fight’s trajectory had suggested. The 34-year-old Wang was competing in her first UFC title fight.

In an Instagram post following the defeat, Wang explained that a right-eye poke midway through the opening round had impaired her vision and left her struggling to settle into her game plan.

“The game is lost. What a pity,” Wang wrote. “I have some regrets then because of the first [round], the eye was poked in the second half. The line of sight is blocked and then I couldn’t see it when I was poked in the right eye in the first [round]. Wait until later to slow down, it’s too slow to enter.”

Despite the frustration, Wang struck a defiant note in closing: “Where to fall, get up, go back and summarize yourself. Come on, try again.”

The flyweight title had been left vacant after Valentina Shevchenko relinquished the belt, making Saturday’s bout a championship decider. Silva’s victory marks a significant moment in the division, and UFC 332 represented the promotion’s return to Utah.