In Salt Lake City on Saturday night, a new chapter opened in the women's flyweight division as Natalia Silva claimed the vacant UFC championship, stepping into the space left by a long reign interrupted by injury. Her victory over Wang Cong was not merely a scorecard result but the culmination of a remarkable ascent — one built on defeating former champions and remaining unbeaten inside the Octagon. Around her, the evening unfolded as a study in finality, with fighters across the card settling questions quickly and decisively, leaving little room for doubt or prolonged struggle.
Silva claims vacant flyweight title; Talbott stuns Figueiredo at UFC 332
Silva inherits an open division on the strength of three straight wins over former champions
Mark
So Silva wins the title, but she wasn't actually fighting the defending champion—the belt was vacant. What happened to Shevchenko?
Mimi
Valentina Shevchenko gave up the title in September because of injuries. Silva was already lined up to challenge her, so when Shevchenko stepped away, Silva got her shot at the vacant belt instead.
Luke
That's important context. Silva didn't dethrone anyone; she inherited an open division. Still, her resume is real—three straight wins over former champions is substantial.
Mark
And Talbott just demolished Figueiredo in the first minute. That's a huge statement, right?
Mimi
Absolutely. Figueiredo was a former flyweight champion, and Talbott made it look effortless. He's now won three in a row, including a win over Henry Cejudo last December.
Luke
But Figueiredo is 38 and 1-5 in his last six. He's not the fighter he was. Talbott's win is impressive, but we should be careful not to overstate what it says about Talbott's level until he faces someone more current.
Mark
The card had six consecutive first-round finishes. That's wild. Is that common?
Mimi
No—the broadcast said it was the first time in modern UFC history. It was a night of dominant performances across the board.
Luke
That's a real stat, but it's also a bit of a cherry-pick. It's the first time six in a row happened, but it doesn't necessarily mean the competition was weaker—sometimes finishes just cluster. Still, a lot of fighters showed up ready to end things quickly.
Mark
What about the veterans on the card? Dos Anjos, Vettori, McGee?
Mimi
They all lost. Dos Anjos was fighting for the first time since tearing his ACL last October, and he's now lost four straight. Vettori has lost five in a row. McGee retired on a loss.
Luke
Those are hard stories. Dos Anjos and Vettori are both former title challengers trying to find their way back, and it's not happening. McGee at least got to choose his exit, even if the result wasn't what he wanted.
O Pulso
- Natalia Silva, undefeated in the UFC and riding a 14-fight winning streak, seized the vacant 125-pound title with a unanimous decision over Wang Cong, filling the void left by Valentina Shevchenko's injury-forced departure.
- Payton Talbott sent a message to the bantamweight division by dismantling former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in just over two minutes, dropping him early and finishing with relentless pressure.
- The card became a showcase of explosive, early violence — Roman Kopylov upset a rising middleweight prospect, Esteban Ribovics stopped a 40-year-old veteran three times before the referee stepped in, and Roberto Soldic survived a dangerous first round to win his UFC debut.
- UFC 332 etched itself into the record books as the first modern event to feature six consecutive first-round knockouts across the full card, a historic marker of the night's relentless finishing pace.
- Veterans faced hard reckonings — Rafael dos Anjos lost in his comeback from ACL surgery, Marvin Vettori dropped his fifth straight, and Court McGee's 19-year career ended in a retirement-fight knockout.
- Emerging talents like Anthony Wint, Jacobe Smith, and Imanol Rodriguez reinforced the depth rising beneath the established names, each finishing their opponents swiftly and without hesitation.
In Salt Lake City on Saturday night, a new chapter opened in the women's flyweight division as Natalia Silva claimed the vacant UFC championship, stepping into the space left by a long reign interrupted by injury. Her victory over Wang Cong was not merely a scorecard result but the culmination of a remarkable ascent — one built on defeating former champions and remaining unbeaten inside the Octagon. Around her, the evening unfolded as a study in finality, with fighters across the card settling questions quickly and decisively, leaving little room for doubt or prolonged struggle.
Saturday night at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Natalia Silva became the new UFC women's flyweight champion. The 29-year-old Brazilian defeated Wang Cong by unanimous decision — 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 — to claim the vacant 125-pound title left behind when Valentina Shevchenko relinquished the belt due to injury. Silva arrived at this moment on the back of an extraordinary run: three straight wins over former UFC champions and an unblemished 8-0 record inside the Octagon. Wang Cong, 34, had earned her shot with four consecutive victories, but Silva's consistency proved decisive across three rounds.
The co-main event produced one of the night's most striking moments. Payton Talbott, 28, dropped Deiveson Figueiredo with a right hand in the opening seconds and never let him recover, finishing the former flyweight champion via TKO at 2:09. Figueiredo, now 38, has lost five of his last six fights. Talbott, whose previous win came over two-division champion Henry Cejudo, called out former bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley afterward.
The rest of the card matched that intensity. Esteban Ribovics stopped King Green three times before referee Herb Dean intervened at 4:08 of the first round. Croatian veteran Roberto Soldic survived an early storm from Khaos Williams to win his UFC debut by unanimous decision. Roman Kopylov upset middleweight prospect Ateba Gautier — who had started his UFC career 5-0 — with a straight left and hammerfists at 3:12 of the first round.
On the preliminary card, Imanol Rodriguez's body kick finish of Alden Coria at 3:11 of the first round made history: UFC 332 became the first modern event to feature six consecutive first-round knockouts across the full card. Damian Pinas added his third straight first-round knockout, and Marcus McGhee extended his winning streak with a late first-round finish.
The early prelims offered their own stories. Anthony Wint needed just 23 seconds to finish Lucas Armand, remaining undefeated at 9-0. Johnny Walker impressed in his heavyweight debut, knocking out Mick Parkin with a knee in the clinch. Alexander Hernandez stopped Rafael dos Anjos — fighting for the first time since tearing his ACL — in the second round, extending dos Anjos' losing streak to four. Ismail Naurdiev claimed the biggest win of his career over former title challenger Marvin Vettori, who has now lost five straight. The night closed its earliest chapter with Eric Nolan knocking out Court McGee in the third round, ending a 19-year professional career.
Saturday night at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, the UFC crowned a new women's flyweight champion. Natalia Silva, the top-ranked contender, defeated Wang Cong by unanimous decision—48-47, 48-47, 49-46—to claim the vacant 125-pound title. Silva steps into a division left empty when Valentina Shevchenko, the longtime champion, relinquished the belt in September due to lingering injuries. The 29-year-old Brazilian arrives at the throne on the strength of an extraordinary run: three consecutive victories over former UFC champions in Rose Namajunas, Alexa Grasso, and Jessica Andrade. She carries an unblemished 8-0 record inside the Octagon and a 14-fight winning streak into her reign.
Wang Cong, ranked sixth in the division, had engineered a rapid ascent to this moment. The 34-year-old Chinese fighter won four straight bouts, including victories over Tracy Cortez and Eduarda Moura earlier in the year, to earn her shot at the title. But on this night, Silva's pedigree and consistency proved decisive across three rounds.
The co-main event delivered one of the card's most stunning results. Payton Talbott, a 28-year-old rising bantamweight prospect, dismantled Deiveson Figueiredo, the former flyweight champion, in the opening minute. Talbott dropped Figueiredo with a right hand in the fight's opening seconds, then walked him down methodically, inflicting damage before finishing him via TKO at 2:09 of the first round. Figueiredo, now 38, has lost two consecutive bouts and stands 1-5 in his last six fights. Talbott, by contrast, is riding a three-fight winning streak. His previous victory came against Henry Cejudo, a former two-division titleholder, at UFC 323 in December. Talbott's record now stands at 6-1 in the Octagon and 12-1 as a professional. After the win, he called for a fight with Sean O'Malley, the former bantamweight champion.
The card was defined by explosive finishes. Esteban Ribovics, a 30-year-old Argentine, claimed the biggest victory of his career by stopping King Green via TKO at 4:08 of the first round in a lightweight bout. Ribovics dropped Green three times before referee Herb Dean intervened. Green, 40, had won four straight before this loss, but his record now sits at 36-18-1. Roberto Soldic, a former KSW two-division champion from Croatia, made a successful UFC debut, defeating Khaos Williams by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27) in a welterweight bout. Soldic struggled early, with Williams hurting him multiple times in the first round, but he found his rhythm in the second and controlled the remainder of the fight with precise striking. The 31-year-old is now 22-4 as a professional.
Roman Kopylov, a 35-year-old Russian, pulled off a significant upset by knocking out middleweight prospect Ateba Gautier at 3:12 of the first round. Kopylov caught Gautier with a straight left, dropped him with another left, and finished with hammerfists on the ground. Gautier, a 24-year-old from Cameroon, had begun his UFC career with five straight wins, including four knockouts, but this marked both his first UFC loss and his first stoppage defeat. He falls to 11-2 as a professional.
The preliminary card featured a historic milestone. Imanol Rodriguez, an undefeated 26-year-old Mexican flyweight, stopped Alden Coria with a devastating body kick at 3:11 of the first round. The finish was so dominant that UFC 332 became the first event in modern UFC history to feature six consecutive first-round knockouts across the entire card. Rodriguez improved to 8-0 as a professional in his second Octagon appearance. Damian Pinas, a 24-year-old middleweight prospect, scored his third consecutive first-round knockout, crumpling Andrey Pulyaev with an uppercut 75 seconds into their bout. Marcus McGhee finished Anthony Romero with punches at 4:58 of the first round in a bantamweight clash, extending his winning streak to two fights and improving to 6-1 in the UFC.
The early preliminary card showcased emerging talent and veteran resurgence. Anthony Wint, a 31-year-old heavyweight prospect and former professional football player, needed just 23 seconds to finish Lucas Armand via TKO in his second UFC appearance. Wint improved to 9-0 in MMA. Johnny Walker, moving up to heavyweight after 16 UFC fights at light heavyweight, impressed in his debut at the heavier weight class by knocking out Mick Parkin with a knee in the clinch at 3:35 of the first round. Jacobe Smith, an undefeated welterweight prospect, remained perfect with a TKO finish of Bruce Whitehead at 1:32 of the first round via ground-and-pound, improving to 4-0 in the UFC and 13-0 as a professional. Alexander Hernandez spoiled Rafael dos Anjos' return to competition, finishing the former lightweight champion via TKO at 3:12 of the second round. Dos Anjos, 41, was fighting for the first time since tearing his ACL in October 2024 and has now lost four consecutive bouts. Ismail Naurdiev defeated Marvin Vettori by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28), claiming the biggest win of his career. Vettori, a former middleweight title challenger, has now lost five straight and remains winless since March 2023. In the opening bout, Eric Nolan spoiled Court McGee's retirement fight with a third-round knockout at 3:26, ending McGee's 19-year professional career with a 22-15 record.
Citações Notáveis
Payton Talbott called for a fight with former bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley after his victory— Payton Talbott
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