Natalia Silva is the new UFC women's flyweight champion. The 29-year-old Brazilian outpointed China's Wang Cong by unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 332 on Saturday night at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, earning scorecards of 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46 to capture the vacant 125-pound crown. The victory extended her winning streak to 15 fights and completed one of the most improbable career turnarounds in recent UFC history.
Silva's coronation headlined a card that rewrote the promotion's record books, producing 11 knockouts — the most in a single UFC event — and overshadowed a co-main event in which rising bantamweight Payton Talbott demolished former champion Deiveson Figueiredo in the first round. "This is incredible for me," Silva said afterward, the belt finally around her waist.
Silva Outpoints Cong to Claim the Vacant Flyweight Crown
The title was up for grabs because long-reigning champion Valentina Shevchenko vacated the belt while dealing with a lingering injury, clearing the way for the division's two top contenders to meet for gold. Silva, who entered the night at 20-5-1, was the visibly faster fighter from the opening bell, using her speed and volume to control the distance and largely dictate the five-round affair.
Cong — a 34-year-old Chinese knockout artist known as "The Joker" — had her moments in the clinch but struggled to consistently close the gap as Silva circled and countered. When Cong did work her way inside, Silva caught kicks, stuffed takedown attempts, and pushed the challenger back toward the fence. All three judges saw it for Silva, with scores of 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46.
The victory improved Silva's Octagon record to a perfect 9-0 since her UFC debut in June 2022 and dropped Cong to 10-2. For a fighter who once sat at 6-5-1 with no obvious road to the top, the moment was a long time coming.
From a 6-5-1 Record to the Top of the Division
Silva's path to UFC gold is one of the sport's great redemption stories. Early in her career, she lost her professional debut, won her second bout by disqualification, and was submitted in her next two outings. At one point her record stood at 6-5-1 — a middling mark that offered little hint of the champion she would become.
Everything changed once she found her rhythm. After signing with the UFC in 2020 and making her promotional debut on June 18, 2022, Silva reeled off eight consecutive wins heading into UFC 332. The streak included three former UFC champions — Jessica Andrade, Alexa Grasso, and Rose Namajunas — with the Namajunas win, a razor-thin unanimous decision at UFC 324 in January 2026, drawing heavy debate but ultimately punching Silva's ticket to a title shot.
"It was a difficult path and a tough path through tough fighters," Silva said at media day ahead of UFC 332, reflecting on a journey that also included severe injuries and personal heartbreak. "Whether it's by beating Valentina or not, if I win the title, I'm the undisputed champion," she added in the buildup. "Regardless of whether it was against [Shevchenko]."
What the Win Means — and Shevchenko's Immediate Warning
Silva's nine-fight UFC winning streak now ranks as the second-longest in the history of the women's flyweight division, trailing only the very legend whose belt she inherited. That distinction was not lost on Shevchenko, who fired off a pointed message to the new champion moments after the decision was read.
"Well deserved, Natalia. Congratulations!" Shevchenko wrote on X, before adding the warning that has become the dominant storyline coming out of UFC 332: "But don't get too comfortable — keep it warm, I'm coming soon for my belt!" UFC CEO Dana White, who had previously promised Silva a title shot following her UFC 324 win, offered his own reaction as the division now braces for a champion-versus-legend showdown.
The night itself belonged to the finishers. UFC 332 produced 11 knockouts, breaking the promotion's single-event record previously set at UFC Fight Night: Imavov vs. Borralho, with nine of those finishes coming in the first round. Four fighters earned $100,000 Performance of the Night bonuses — Johnny Walker in his heavyweight debut, Damian Pinas, Imanol Rodriguez, and Roman Kopylov — as part of a card that paid out more than $400,000 in bonuses.
The co-main event delivered the evening's loudest statement. Talbott, one of the sport's fastest-rising bantamweights, needed just 2:09 to stop former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo by first-round TKO, then immediately turned his attention to Sean O'Malley, telling the former bantamweight champion he "can't run" from the matchup. The win cemented Talbott as a genuine title threat at 135 pounds.
Where Things Stand After a Record-Setting Night
As the dust settles in Salt Lake City, Silva stands atop a division she has quietly climbed for more than four years. She is now 21-5-1 overall, riding a 15-fight win streak, with wins over three former UFC champions and a perfect 9-0 mark inside the Octagon. Her immediate focus, she indicated after the fight, is to stay busy as champion rather than sit through a lengthy layoff.
Cong, meanwhile, falls to 10-2 and will likely need to rebuild after coming up short in her first title opportunity. The Chinese striker remains one of the division's most dangerous finishers, and at 34, she still has time to climb back into contention — but the gap to the top now runs through a champion who just proved too quick and too composed over five rounds.
Silva vs. Shevchenko Looms as the Division's Defining Fight
The most obvious next step is a unification-style clash between the new champion and the woman many still regard as the division's true queen. Shevchenko, 38 and ranked No. 1 pound-for-pound by several outlets, has made no secret of her plan to reclaim the belt she never lost inside the cage, and her social-media warning made clear she intends to skip the line.
Silva, for her part, has repeatedly said she wants that fight, too. "I was sad because she holds the belt and I wanted the belt. That's why I wanted to fight Valentina," Silva explained before UFC 332. "She's the titleholder and I'm going for [the belt]." The roles have now reversed — and whenever Shevchenko is healthy enough to return, a Silva-Shevchenko title fight would stand among the most anticipated matchups in the division's history.
The Bottom Line: Key Points to Remember
- Natalia Silva defeated Wang Cong by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) to win the vacant UFC women's flyweight title at UFC 332.
- The win extended Silva's overall streak to 15 fights and her UFC record to a perfect 9-0, the second-longest streak in flyweight division history.
- UFC 332 set a promotion record with 11 knockouts in a single event, including nine first-round finishes.
- Former champion Valentina Shevchenko warned the new titleholder: "keep it warm, I'm coming soon for my belt."
- Payton Talbott stopped Deiveson Figueiredo by first-round TKO in the co-main event and called out Sean O'Malley.
