Natalia Silva edges Wang Cong in back-and-forth battle to win flyweight title in UFC 332 main event

Natalia Silva won the undisputed flyweight title after winning a back-and-forth with Wang Cong in the main event of UFC 332 on Saturday.

Although it was far from a barn burner, Silva used his speed and precision to frustrate Wang over the course of five rounds. At the end of the fight, Wang was throwing big, wild punches just to try to finish, but Silva was too fast and elusive offensively and defensively.

When finished, the judges scored the contest 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46, with Silva getting the nod to win the 125-pound title.

“I’m so happy,” Silva said after her victory. “I want to say this to everyone… don’t give up on anything. This belt here is because God gave me the opportunity. I knew she was a tough fighter. This fight proved why she challenged me. This is the debut of Natalia Silva. I am the new queen.”

There was a lot of frantic movement from Silva to start the fight while Wang was more measured in her striking approach. Silva’s speed seemed to give Wang a hard time before she slid to the ground as the flyweights fought for position against the cage.

Silva was starting to settle into a rhythm as Wang tried to find a home for his striking combinations.

Silva’s speed paid off in the second round with a lightning-fast headbutt that rocked Wang before she dragged the fight to the ground. Wang managed to get back to her feet, but Silva was still outclassing her with a variety of attacks heading into the third round.

Another kick from Silva had Wang momentarily unstuck as his confidence seemed to rise in almost every exchange. Wang managed to throw some solid kicks, but she just wasn’t catching up to Silva’s overall work rate.

Silva continued his attacks with a series of kicks, going down to the legs and then back up to the body. Wang tried to slow her down with a clinch, but Silva circled to escape and the fighters reset in the center of the octagon.

With five minutes remaining, Wang knew she probably needed to finish to get the win, but Silva didn’t back down as the flyweights engaged again. Wang managed to catch Silva with a stiff left hook and she continued to pursue her as time ticked down. \

It just wasn’t enough and the fight ended with Silva ahead on the scorecards as she won the flyweight title and now inevitably awaits the opportunity to solidify her claim when Valentina Shevchenko is healthy and ready to compete again.