Natalia Silva defeated Wang Cong in the UFC 332 main event in Salt Lake City, closing out a five round main event that both ESPN and Yahoo Sports described as dominant from bell to bell. The numbers back up the eye test. Silva came in ranked number one in the division, Wang Cong number eight, and our Elo model had Silva rated 1616 off seven bouts to Wang Cong's 1577 off six. That gap showed up on the scorecards. Wang Cong offered an explanation for her showing. Speaking after the loss, she said an eye poke early in the fight left her unable to see properly and that it threw off her start in what was her first UFC title fight, according to Sherdog and MMA Fighting. Dana White was not buying it as the full story. At the post fight press conference, the UFC president said of Wang Cong, 'She will hate herself when she rewatches the fight. Silva, for her part, is not waiting around. Per Ag Fight, she said she intends to take Dana White's advice and stay active as champion rather than sit on the sidelines for Shevchenko's return.
Sources (6)
We summarise the day's news in our own words. Full credit to the outlets below for the original reporting, click through to read their work.
- UFC 332 results: Natalia Silva wins women's flyweight title in record-setting night (ESPN MMA)
- Natalia Silva crowned women’s flyweight champion at UFC 332 as Valentina Shevchenko issues warning (Yahoo Sports)
- Cong Wang says eye poke left her unable to see in UFC 332 title loss (Sherdog)
- Dana White criticizes Wang Cong after loss to Natália Silva: “She will hate herself when she rewatches the fight” (AgFight)
- Natália Silva heeds Dana White's advice and promises to be an active champion in the UFC (AgFight)
- Wang Cong says eye poke led to slow start in first statement following main event loss to Natalia Silva at UFC 332 (MMA Fighting)
This story ran in the October 5, 2026 edition of the daily show.