Natalia Silva defeated Wang Cong by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)
Natalia Silva is your new UFC women’s flyweight champion, earning the title with a unanimous decision win over Wang Cong to close out UFC 332 on Saturday night.
The Brazilian used her varied striking and supreme movement to get out to an early lead against “The Joker,” frustrating her over the first two rounds to build a solid lead heading into the latter stages of the fight. While Wang was able to close the gap and find some success of her own as the fight rolled into the championship rounds, Silva continued to land and control the exchanges until the final moments of the fifth, where the Chinese contender landed her best shots of the contest.
The judges were called upon for only the third time in the night, and when their scores were collected and totaled, it was Silva that came out ahead, claiming the vacant title and becoming the fifth champion in the division’s history and the fourth women to hold the belt. Wang gave a solid account of herself and should remain in the championship mix, but it was Silva’s evening, as she moved to 9-0 in the UFC while climbing to the top of the 125-pound weight class.
Payton Talbott defeated Deiveson Figueiredo by TKO (strikes) at 2:09 of Round 1
Payton Talbott absolutely mauled Deiveson Figueiredo in the co-main event, dispatching the tenured Brazilian in half-a-round.
Talbott put Figueiredo on the canvas with a crisp right hand early in the contest, but it was an elbow along the fence that started the press for the finish from the Reno, Nevada native. As soon as it landed, Figueiredo seemed poised to be set packing and Talbott did just that, staying on him, connecting with hard shots and forcing him to cover up, bringing referee Jason Herzog in wave things off.
This was a tremendous return after 10 months off for Talbott, who continues to impress and move forward in the bantamweight ranks. He’s an outstanding prospect and called for a fight with “Suga” Sean O’Malley next, which would be absolute fire.
Esteban Ribovics defeated King Green by TKO (strikes) at 4:08 of Round 1
Esteban Ribovics ended King Green’s winning streak in the featured bout of Saturday’s UFC 332 main card, stopping the veteran lightweight late in the opening stanza.
Ribovics brought the fight to Green straight away but couldn’t necessarily find him with big shots in the early going, allowing Green to get into his defensive movements and usual tactics. But late in the first, Ribovics extended his combinations and found success, clipping and dropping Green on multiple occasions, with referee Herb Dean finally halting the action after the third knockdown.
This was a good win for Ribovics, who unfortunately missed weight on Friday. He’s now dispatched a pair of veteran talents in consecutive contest while moving to 6-3 inside the Octagon and further cementing himself as a must-see attraction in the 155-pound ranks.
Roberto Soldić defeated Khaos Williams by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)
It took Roberto Soldić a round to shake off the rust and get settled, but once he did, the UFC newcomer showed why so many were eager to see him compete inside the Octagon as he registered a dominant decision win over Khaos Williams
Williams actually stung Soldić a couple times in the opening stanza when his speed was still at max levels, prompting the Croatian newcomer to wrestle in the back half of the first. From there, it was all “Robocop,” as he dominated Williams on the feet and on the ground, hurting him multiple times while flashing the totality of his skill set.
It surprisingly went the distance, but the decision was never in doubt, as Soldić got the nod from all three judges. This was a quality opening effort from the 31-year-old promotional newcomer, who should be even better next time out now that he’s not coming off a near-600-day layoff.
Roman Kopylov defeated Ateba Gautier by TKO (strikes) at 3:12 of Round 1
Roman Kopylov stopped the ascent of Ateba Gautier, putting him down in the first round.
The Russian veteran leaned on his edge in experience and skill to tame “The Storm” in Saturday’s main card opening, connecting with several clean punches in the early going before connecting with a left hand that put Gautier on skates. From there, Kopylov swarmed, chasing him into the canvas and smashing out the finish.
This was an outstanding performance from the battle-tested Russian, who picked up his second win of the year and eighth UFC victory to kick things off in Salt Lake City. Gautier will be better for having gone through this, but tonight is Kopylov’s night as he scored one for the veteran class.
Imanol Rodriguez defeated Alden Coria by TKO (body kick) at 3:11 of Round 1
Imanol Rodriguez continued the run of first-round finishes with a body kick finish of Alden Coria to close out Saturday’s prelims.
The Ultimate Fighter contestant and Contender Series grad was all over Coria from the jump, flashing his speed and power with his hands before digging his toes into the Houston resident’s belly. Coria let out an audible screech as he fell backwards to the canvas and clutched his midsection, with Rodriguez chasing him to the ground and sealing the win quickly.
That’s now consecutive stoppage wins to start his UFC journey for Rodriguez, who already looks like a rising star in the flyweight ranks. Coria was 3-0 in the UFC heading into this one and Rodriguez ran through him without pause, putting himself in a position for a significant step up in competition next time out.
Damian Pinas defeated Andrey Pulyaev by KO (uppercut) at 1:15 of Round 1
Damian Pinas strikes again!
“The Baba Yaga” slept Andrey Pulyaev in the first round on Saturday, leveling him with an uppercut along the fence that sent the Russian to The Shadow Realm. That’s now three straight first-round stoppage wins for Pinas since graduating from the Contender Series last year, and another statement performance from the menacing 24-year-old prospect.
This dude looks like a serious threat and someone that could become a genuine force in this division as he continues to develop and progress.
Marcus McGhee defeated Anthony Romero by TKO (strikes) at 4:58 of Round 1
The power of Marcus McGhee was too much for Anthony Romero, as “The Maniac” was able to get him out of there just ahead of the horn at the close of the first round.
Romero started well, landing a few clean shots in the opening minutes of the contest as McGhee found his range. A stiff jab dropped Romero in the back half of the round and in the closing seconds of things, McGhee kept on the pressure and hurt Romero again, chasing him to the canvas and swarming with punches, bringing about the stoppage.
That’s now consecutive wins this year and victories in six of seven inside the Octagon for McGhee, who continued to show his level in the talent-rich bantamweight division. The MMA Lab product is thoughtful and skilled and should get a chance to fight forward in the division again after this outstanding effort in Salt Lake City.
Anthony Wint defeated Lucas Armand by TKO (strikes) at 0:23 of Round 1
Anthony Wint wasted no time dispatching Lucas Armand to earn his third win in 54 days, closing the distance and earning the stoppage in less than 30 seconds.
Wint, who earned his UFC contract on August 11, swarmed Armand right out of the gates, bull-rushing him back to the fence and opening up from there, throwing smoke until “Do or Die” fell to the canvas and covered up.
The former NFL linebacker is a plus athlete with a perfect 9-0 record as a professional and is ready to start facing experienced UFC competition after registering two wins in less than five minutes combined. “Bow Down” is a big-time prospect and we’ll see how he does as he continues to get tested going forward.
Johnny Walker defeated Mick Parkin by KO (knee) at 3:35 of Round 1
Welcome to the heavyweight division, Johnny Walker!
The towering Brazilian made a statement in his divisional debut, knocking out British prospect Mick Parkin with a nasty Thai clinch knee up the middle in the first round. He had softened Parkin up with an elbow inside and a jumping knee that didn’t quite land clean, but then the subsequent attack found the mark and sent the Contender Series grad crashing to the canvas in a heap.
You couldn’t ask for a more impressive start to life in a new division than what Walker delivered on Saturday. The enigmatic big man has always flashed a ton of potential and explosiveness, and it’ll be interesting to see what he can do in his new surroundings.
Jacobe Smith defeated Bruce Whitehead by TKO (ground-and-pound) at 1:32 of Round 1
Jacobe Smith handled business on Saturday, putting out short-notice replacement Bruce Whitehead in the first round to advance to 4-0 in the UFC.
The fight began with Smith landing a hard accidental low blow as both he and Whitehead were throwing knees, creating a pause in the action. Once they resumed, Smith was ultra-aggressive, bringing the fight to “The Goose” and slamming him to the mat before opening up with ground-and-pound that ended the contest.
A member of the Dana White’s Contender Series Class of ’24, Smith is now 13-0 overall with stoppage wins in each of his first four UFC appearances. The Oklahoma State product is a rising star in the welterweight ranks and it’s going to be interesting to see who he’s matched up with next.
Alexander Hernandez defeated Rafael Dos Anjos by TKO (strikes) at 3:12 of Round 2
Put another one in the win column for Alexander Hernandez as the Colorado-based lightweight staple stopped former champion Rafael Dos Anjos.
The Brazilian veteran looked extremely sharp out of the gates, giving Hernandez no space and peppering him with shots throughout the first before Hernandez wobbled him just before the horn in the first. And then in the second, “El Gran Chango” stayed on the gas, stinging Dos Anjos early in the frame and putting him away just after the midway point of the round.
That’s a huge victory for Hernandez, who had a four-fight winning streak snapped last time out with a flat effort against Rafa Garcia. This was an outstanding belated birthday present to himself for Hernandez, who turned 34 during fight week, and should set up another marquee assignment next time out.
Ismail Naurdiev defeated Marvin Vettori by decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Ismail Naurdiev registered his second straight victory and the biggest winof his UFC career on Saturday, edging out former title challenger Marvin Vettori on the scorecards.
Naurdiev was the more effective of the two in the opening round, landing with more force and variety, carrying his advantage into the early portion of the second, where he had Vettori on skates at one point. While “The Italian Dream” found some success as the fight progressed, his output and impact was not enough to keep Naurdiev from continuing to find positive moments of his own down the stretch.
The judges were called upon to determine the victor and all three saw it the same, awarding Naurdiev the unanimous decision win. That’s now consecutive victories and wins in three of four since returning to the UFC as a middleweight, while Vettori dropped his fifth straight and sixth in his last seven appearances.
Eric Nolan defeated Court McGee by TKO (strikes) at 3:26 of Round 3
Eric Nolan spoiled Utah native Court McGee’s final trip into the Octagon, opening Saturday’s contest by dispatching the former Ultimate Fighter winner to collect his first UFC victory.
McGee came out sharp and was getting the better of things for much of the first round before Nolan landed an elbow on the break just before the horn that wobbled “The Crusher.” Over the next two rounds, the New Jersey native landed the bigger individual blows, stinging McGee and throwing with greater intent before hurting him in the back half of the third and chasing down the finish.
This was a good showing for Nolan, who really warmed into the fight and leaned into his power advantage to register his win under the UFC banner. For McGee, it’s a bittersweet final trip into the Octagon as he hangs up his gloves after 16 years competing at the highest level in the sport.
