Natalia Silva is the new UFC women's flyweight champion, defeating Wang Cong by unanimous decision in the UFC 332 main event at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday night.
48-47, 48-47, 49-46
The judges scored the bout 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 in Silva's favour. The Brazilian's decisive moment came in the second round, when she dropped Cong with a head kick. The Chinese challenger rallied in the third and fourth rounds but could not close the gap on the scorecards.
15 straight wins
The victory extends Silva's unbeaten run to 15 fights and completes a remarkable climb through the division — she had already beaten three former champions, Jessica Andrade, Alexa Grasso and Rose Namajunas, on her way to the title shot. Silva, 29, improves to 21-5-1 in MMA and 9-0 in the UFC. Cong, 34, falls to 10-2 in MMA and 5-2 in the UFC, with a four-fight winning streak snapped.
A new era at flyweight
The title had been vacated by Valentina Shevchenko, who relinquished the belt because of injury — reported as a back and shoulder issue expected to sideline her for at least a year. Silva is only the second fighter other than Shevchenko to hold the division's gold. The promotion has indicated that former champion Alexa Grasso would be next in line for the winner.
Sources: MMA Junkie
48-47, 48-47, 49-46
The judges scored the bout 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 in Silva's favour. The Brazilian's decisive moment came in the second round, when she dropped Cong with a head kick. The Chinese challenger rallied in the third and fourth rounds but could not close the gap on the scorecards.
15 straight wins
The victory extends Silva's unbeaten run to 15 fights and completes a remarkable climb through the division — she had already beaten three former champions, Jessica Andrade, Alexa Grasso and Rose Namajunas, on her way to the title shot. Silva, 29, improves to 21-5-1 in MMA and 9-0 in the UFC. Cong, 34, falls to 10-2 in MMA and 5-2 in the UFC, with a four-fight winning streak snapped.
A new era at flyweight
The title had been vacated by Valentina Shevchenko, who relinquished the belt because of injury — reported as a back and shoulder issue expected to sideline her for at least a year. Silva is only the second fighter other than Shevchenko to hold the division's gold. The promotion has indicated that former champion Alexa Grasso would be next in line for the winner.
Sources: MMA Junkie
