The UFC women’s flyweight division has a new champion. Natalia Silva won against Wang Cong at Delta Center in Salt Lake City during the festivities of UFC 332. The two ladies headlined the evening, and they delivered. The belt suddenly became available after former champ Valentina Shevchenko vacated it due to an unforeseen, and for now, mysterious injury.
MMA is massive in Brazil, and the nation is celebrating another champion in its ranks. Unfortunately, during the same event, Deiveson Figueiredo couldn’t beat Payton Talbott and lost in a bout that lasted just over two minutes. Figueiredo, a former two-time men’s flyweight titleholder, was no match for Talbott, who knocked him out during the first round.
Silva vs. Wang Recap
All in all, one could argue that Natalie Silva knew what she was doing throughout the bout vs. Cong and cruised to victory. Yet Silva (21-5-1) faced a tough opponent, and Wang Cong landed a few power shots late in the bout to try to end the fight in her favor. One devastating left hook even landed, and for a brief moment it looked like Wang could pull off a surprise. Yet when the scorecards went up, Natalie Silva won 49-46, 48-47, and 48-47, taking home the belt Valentina Shevchenko vacated earlier in the year.
From Round 1, Silva’s detailed plan was clear. From the first bell, she dictated the action inside the octagon. She set the tone with an early left hook and took the bout from there. Wang immediately developed swelling around her right eye, reducing her vision. Because of Wang’s vision impairment, Silva closed the distance a few times in the first round and landed several good combinations throughout. At the end, it was 10:9 Silva.
Round 2 was more of the same for Silva. She expanded her arsenal of strikes and kicks, and a high kick landed cleanly on Wang, making it clear this title bout was heading in one direction. Silva was the faster fighter in the evening, and Wang couldn’t counter her speed. It was 10-9, 20-18 Silva. Round 3 was when Wang finally realized she needed to change something to get back into this bout. The plan was to cut off the octagon and walk off Silva, but her spurts of aggression were nowhere near enough to change the evening’s course. Natalie Silva continued where she left off in the first two rounds, and after circling the Chinese fighter, she landed enough hits to win this round too. The performance pleased fans, as both fighters gave it their all and the title bout lacked no action. Silva was already on the brink of victory after three rounds, and she won 10-9 and 30-27.
In round 4, Wang went all in. Her corner told her she needed to attack to salvage the bout. Her aggression was evident from the start, but to no avail. Natalie Silva was more than prepared for this matchup, and she executed her game plan without error. Wang tried to even out the bout, but Silva eventually won the round after landing a superb spinning back kick that put the entire arena on its feet. Aside from that kick, the round was uneventful, and the judges once again gave it to Silva, 10-9, 40-36.
By round 5, it was clear Natalia Silva was the new UFC women’s flyweight champion, unless a surprise was about to happen. UFC predictions on Stake, the UFC’s official betting partner, had Silva as a heavy favorite. Yet Wang Cong wouldn’t let it go without a fight. Round 5 at UFC 332 was her last stand, and she stayed close to Silva throughout the bout; after spending most of the round in a clinch, she landed a powerful left hook on the Brazilian. Silva was clearly shocked, and for a brief moment it looked like the tide of the bout was turning, especially after Wang’s left hook was followed up by a right hand. In the end, it was not enough. Round 5 was the only round where the judges gave more points to Wang, 10-9. 49-46 Silva.
When it was all said and done, Brazilian Natalia Silva became the new champion of the women’s UFC flyweight division. She made an entire nation proud and added her name to the list of numerous Brazilian champions. Now the pressure is on the rest of the UFC roster fighting under the Brazilian flag. In the next few weeks and months, we will see more than a few high-profile bouts featuring top Brazilian fighters in the UFC. Let’s check them out.
What’s Next For Poatan?
Alex Pereira is one of the most famous UFC fighters right now. His legacy in middleweight and light heavyweight can never be tarnished. Yet, he wanted more. In an unlikely move, Poatan moved to heavyweight to try to become champion in three different divisions. Unfortunately, he wasn’t good enough to beat Ciryl Gane and lost by TKO at UFC Freedom 250. He lost his first UFC heavyweight bout, but it didn’t derail his ambitions.
Now, Alex Pereira is getting ready to fight Sergei Pavlovich. Their bout is scheduled for UFC 335 and will serve as the co-main event on December 12. While Pereira’s ambitions are through the roof, many fans, pundits, and former champions believe he is better suited to the 205-pound weight class. If he wins at heavyweight, former champion Chris Weidman believes his legacy would be one of the greatest ever, but that it won’t happen. He believes Poatan is chasing legacy and trying to get revenge on Gane instead of focusing on what he’s good at, and that moving to heavyweight will backfire in the long run.
While we’re waiting for Stake, official UFC partner for betting, to release the odds for the upcoming event, even now, one thing is clear. This is another heavyweight bout in which Alex Pereira enters as an underdog. While many eyes will be on Pavlovich vs. Pereira, this bout is not the main event at UFC 335.
UFC 335 Main Event: Oliveira vs. Lopes
Las Vegas will host one of the year’s biggest UFC events, with Charles Oliveira and Alex Pereira fighting in the main and co-main events. The main event is a bout for the BMF belt. Oliveira will defend his titles against former featherweight challenger Diego Lopes. For Lopes, this bout marks his lightweight debut. At UFC 326, Charles won the BMF belt by defeating Max Holloway via unanimous decision.
Lopes will be a tough challenge for Do Bronx. After all, he has only two losses in his UFC career, and only two fighters have beaten him: Alexander Volkanovski and Movsar Evloev. Oliveira will look to continue his hot streak and get back into title contention. After all, the division has been in a frenzy since Gaethje beat Topuria, and now every fighter is eager to fight either of them and aim for the title. To get there, Charles Oliveira will have to beat Diego Lopes at UFC 335 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on December 12th. While we have massive bouts ahead featuring Brazilian fighters, December is still far away. We also have some great events in UFC coming our way in October.
UFC Fight Night: Buckley vs. Malott
Rogers Place in Edmonton, Canada, will host an interesting Fight Night. Buckley and Malott will headline the event as they face off in this welterweight bout. The further down the card you go, the more interesting it gets. This Fight Night will also feature a women’s flyweight bout as #4-ranked Erin Blanchfield faces a home-crowd fighter, Jasmine Jasudavicius. We’ll also have a lightweight fight between Nelson and Perez Gonzales, a middleweight bout between Barriault and Daukaus, and a bantamweight bout between Jourdain and Cuamba. For Brazilians tuning in, the prelims feature a matchup that could put one of their fighters on the main card in the future. At heavyweight, home fighter Tanner Boser will face Jhonata Diniz. While Boser is more experienced, Diniz has the edge in everything else. He enters with a 9-2 record against Boser’s 22-11-1, and he has the height, weight, and reach advantages. He is closer to his tenth win than the odds might suggest.
UFC 333: Volkanovski vs. Evloev
The best UFC event of October is scheduled for the 24th. UFC 333 features two title bouts in a single event. Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, will host UFC 333, where Alexander Volkanovski takes on challenger Movsar Evloev in the main event. As if that wasn’t enough to draw the crowd, the co-main event is another title bout: Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili.
As for the main event, Volkanovski will want to keep his legacy intact, as he is seen as one of the greatest featherweights in UFC history. With 15 wins and 3 losses in the UFC, he has nothing to be ashamed of; he’s only lost to Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria, and that was in the lightweight division. Evloev, on the other hand, is a fighter on a hot run. He is one of the dying breed: a title challenger with an undefeated 20-0 record. The only stain on his career so far is that, despite beating the likes of Lerone Murphy, Aljamain Sterling, and Arnold Allen, he has no finishes in the UFC. There’s no clear favorite for this bout, with Alex at 1.94 and Movsar at 1.83. It will be a true title bout.
As for the co-main event, you’d better get ready to spend the evening in the trenches. After years of dominating the UFC bantamweight division, Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili enters this fight as an underdog. The odds on his win are 2.55, while Petr Yan is favored at 1.50. The best part about this bout is the fact that it is a trilogy where the current score stands at 1:1. Dvalishvili has a 14- 3 record in the UFC, and he has been KO’d, with only one loss coming by submission. Yan, meanwhile, has never been finished. Beyond the belt, this fight could also decide who is the greatest bantamweight fighter of all time. This time, Merab will need a better game plan, given how well Petr dismantled his wrestling last time.
Both men have been gearing up for this bout for almost a full year, recovering and planning how to win, as they haven’t fought since their last encounter. As fans, all we need to do is wait and watch what happens in the UFC this October.