Natalia Silva is the UFC's new women's flyweight champion. The Brazilian standout defeated China's Wang Cong by unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 332 on Saturday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, claiming the vacant 125-pound title and running her unbeaten streak inside the promotion to nine fights.
Silva, 29, swept the judges with scores of 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47, improving to 21-5-1 overall and capturing the belt left vacant when longtime champion Valentina Shevchenko relinquished it because of injury. The win capped a record-setting night in which the card produced 11 knockouts — the most ever on a single UFC event.
How Natalia Silva Captured Flyweight Gold
Silva walked into UFC 332 riding a 14-fight win streak and left with her 15th consecutive victory, a performance built on the speed, footwork and distance control that have become her trademarks. A lightning-quick head kick in the second round rattled Wang and set the tone, and the Brazilian's constant movement kept the challenger from ever finding a comfortable rhythm.
Wang Cong, the 10-1 contender nicknamed “The Joker” who carried a decorated sanda and boxing background into the bout, refused to fade. She rallied over the championship rounds and took the closing frames on two of the three judges' cards, dragging the fight to the ground and making it a back-and-forth battle down the stretch — but Silva's early lead proved too large to overcome.
The victory made Silva the latest Brazilian to capture UFC gold and cemented her as one of the most consistent fighters in the sport — she has not tasted defeat since December 2017.
From 6-5-1 to Champion: The Unlikely Rise of Natalia Silva
Silva's path to the top was far from linear. After losing to future UFC contender Marina Rodriguez at the end of 2017, her professional record stood at a modest 6-5-1. Three months later, she began a turnaround that has now stretched nearly nine years and produced 15 straight wins.
Born in Pingo-d'Água, Minas Gerais, Silva is a former Jungle Fight flyweight champion who trains at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. A southpaw with a taekwondo base, she has developed a fluid, dance-like style that has frustrated every opponent she has faced since arriving in the UFC in 2022.
Her Octagon résumé now includes victories over Andrea Lee, Rose Namajunas and Alexa Grasso — the latter two establishing her as a legitimate title challenger and, eventually, the top-ranked flyweight in the promotion. Along the way she climbed from unranked newcomer to the division's number-one contender, and she entered UFC 332 having tied Manon Fiorot for the second-longest win streak in women's flyweight history.
Silva was originally scheduled to challenge Shevchenko for the championship. Those plans collapsed when the promotion announced Shevchenko was vacating the title because of injury and would be sidelined for up to a year, leaving Silva and Wang to meet for the vacant belt.
“We were preparing for Valentina strategically,” Silva said through a Portuguese interpreter ahead of the event. “Sparring was based on Valentina.”
Timeline: How the Vacant Title Came to Be
The chain of events that produced Saturday's main event came together quickly in the weeks before fight night.
- Shevchenko vacates the belt: The UFC announced that Valentina Shevchenko had relinquished the women's flyweight title because of injury and would be out for up to a year.
- A new main event is set: Natalia Silva and Wang Cong were elevated to the UFC 332 headliner, with the vacant championship on the line at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
- Silva delivers on fight night: The Brazilian controlled the early rounds and withstood a late Wang surge to win 49-46, 48-47, 48-47 and become the new flyweight champion.
Why UFC 332 Made History: Talbott's Statement and 11 Knockouts
The main event was only part of the story on a night that rewrote the UFC record books. UFC 332 produced 11 knockouts — nine of them in the first round — shattering the previous single-card record of nine.
The most emphatic finish belonged to Payton Talbott, the surging bantamweight who ran through former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in the co-main event. Talbott stopped the Brazilian veteran by first-round TKO at the 2:09 mark, improving to 12-1 and extending his winning streak to three.
Figueiredo, a former two-time flyweight champion who moved up to bantamweight, had no answer for Talbott's speed and power. Coming off a win over former champion Henry Cejudo, Talbott overwhelmed the veteran with pressure and precision before the referee waved off the contest — his second straight victory over a former UFC champion.
Afterward, Talbott made his ambitions plain, calling out former bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley as he pushes toward a title shot at 135 pounds.
Where Things Stand Now: Shevchenko vs. Silva Looms
Silva barely had time to wrap the belt around her waist before Shevchenko made her presence felt. The former champion posted a message telling the new titleholder not to “get too comfortable,” and Silva answered with a succinct reply: “It's about time.”
The exchange signaled what figures to be the division's defining rivalry once Shevchenko is healthy. But Silva has made clear she will not wait. She said she intends to follow advice from UFC CEO Dana White and defend the belt rather than sit out for a year to unify it.
“I want to be an active champion,” she said.
What's Next for Silva, Talbott and the Flyweight Division
The flyweight division now faces a compelling immediate future. With Silva committed to staying busy and Shevchenko projected to miss up to a year, the champion could log her first title defense before any unification bout materializes — though a Silva-Shevchenko showdown appears inevitable once the former champion returns.
For Talbott, the road ahead points toward the top of the bantamweight rankings, with an O'Malley matchup now squarely on the table. His destruction of Figueiredo established him as a genuine threat to the division's elite and one of the most talked-about young fighters in the sport.
As for Silva, her rise from a 6-5-1 also-ran to UFC champion stands as one of the most remarkable turnarounds in recent MMA history — and, by her own declaration, the reign is just beginning.
Key Takeaways From UFC 332
- Natalia Silva won the vacant UFC women's flyweight title with a unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47) over Wang Cong.
- Silva improved to 21-5-1 overall and 9-0 in the UFC, extending her win streak to 15 fights dating back to 2017.
- Payton Talbott stopped Deiveson Figueiredo by first-round TKO and called out Sean O'Malley.
- UFC 332 set a promotion record with 11 knockouts, including nine in the first round.
- Valentina Shevchenko, who vacated the title due to injury, responded to Silva's win and set the stage for a future unification bout.
