Natalia Silva is the new UFC women's flyweight champion. She outworked Wang Cong over five rounds in the UFC 332 main event, using speed and accuracy to frustrate Wang before closing the show against a fighter who was throwing wild, desperate shots by the final bell. The judges saw it 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47, all for Silva. She becomes the first fighter from Brazil to win the flyweight belt, and she did it as the clear number one contender, having gone 8-0 inside the UFC and, according to some reports, won her past 14 fights overall. The title came open when Valentina Shevchenko stepped away from the division, according to reports, due to lingering injuries, and Shevchenko wasted no time sending a message to the new champ afterward, warning her not to get too comfortable.
That sets up an obvious intrigue down the line if Shevchenko ever returns, but for now the division belongs to Silva, and she earned it the hard way across 25 minutes.
The co-main event was a lot shorter. Payton Talbott needed just over two minutes to blow through Deiveson Figueiredo, dropping the former champion early and never letting him breathe before the referee stepped in to save him from more punches. It is the second former UFC champion Talbott has finished in a row, and he is not shy about who he wants next, calling out Sean O'Malley on his way out of the cage. Figueiredo's bad run in the UFC continues, and Talbott just put himself in position for a top five fight.
Johnny Walker made his heavyweight debut memorable, knocking out Mick Parkin and walking away with a Performance of the Night bonus for it.
Esteban Ribovics stopped King Green, though the finish drew some debate afterward. Dana White was asked about the stoppage and basically shrugged it off, saying referee Herb Dean has had a rough year of it and that he has seen worse calls than this one.
Damian Pinas joined Walker among the $100,000 bonus winners on what turned into a knockout-heavy night, with nine finishes inside the first round across the card.
For the UFC's Brazilian contingent, this was a night to celebrate. Mackenzie Dern was shown celebrating alongside Silva after the win, with reports stating the two champions from the same country were sharing the moment together. UFC 332 leaves behind a clear new story at 125 pounds and a surging bantamweight in Talbott angling for the biggest fight the division can offer him.