Natalia Silva and Wang Cong will fight for the vacant women’s flyweight title at UFC 332 in Salt Lake City, with the division crowning its first new champion since Valentina Shevchenko gave up the belt.
The event is at the Delta Center on Saturday, October 3 (US time). In Australia, the main card starts at 11am AEDT on Sunday, October 4 (10am AEST in Queensland), with the early prelims from 7am AEDT and the prelims from 9am AEDT. Daylight saving starts in NSW, Victoria, the ACT and Tasmania early that Sunday morning.
According to UFC.com, Shevchenko was forced to vacate the title due to injury. CBS Sports reported lingering ligament damage to her back and shoulder has kept the two-time champion out since her last fight in November 2025. UFC 332 is also the first UFC card whose full main card airs live on CBS in the United States.
Silva’s unbeaten run
Silva, 29, is 8-0 in the UFC and has won 14 straight fights overall. Her last three wins came against former champions Jessica Andrade, Alexa Grasso and Rose Namajunas. UFC.com describes the Brazilian as fast and kick-heavy, with footwork that frustrates opponents. CBS Sports reported she enters the fight as the betting favourite.
Wang’s volume and a win over Shevchenko
Wang, 34, has won four straight, most recently outworking Tracy Cortez at UFC 329. UFC.com said she owns the highest striking differential in the division and is the most accurate striker in its history. The Chinese fighter also holds a 2015 kickboxing win over Shevchenko, and made her UFC debut in August 2024 with a 62-second knockout.
Xtreme Couture coach Eddie Barraco told UFC.com Wang’s pace would be central to her game plan: “She has great boxing, volume —6.82 significant strikes per minute; that’s a substantial pace.”
Five rounds at altitude
It is the first UFC main event for both women, so neither has fought five rounds in the Octagon. UFC.com flagged that the championship distance, at altitude in Salt Lake City, could be a factor, as could the grappling exchanges between two striking-first fighters.
The rest of the main card
- Deiveson Figueiredo vs Payton Talbott (bantamweight co-main): Talbott returns for the first time since beating Henry Cejudo at UFC 323 in December. The former two-time flyweight champion Figueiredo is 1-4 in his last five.
- King Green vs Esteban Ribovics (lightweight): the 40-year-old Green is on a four-fight win streak, while Ribovics is fresh off a second-round finish of Edson Barboza. CBS Sports reported Ribovics is nearly a 3-to-1 favourite.
- Roberto Soldic vs Khaos Williams (welterweight): the former two-division KSW champion makes his UFC debut.
- Ateba Gautier vs Roman Kopylov (middleweight): unbeaten Cameroonian prospect Gautier steps up against the Russian veteran.
Former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos (against Alexander Hernandez), Johnny Walker (making his heavyweight debut against Mick Parkin) and Marvin Vettori (against Ismail Naurdiev) feature on the prelims. Utah’s Court McGee has his final fight at home against Eric Nolan.
TSB’s previous UFC coverage includes our UFC 331 preview.
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