Is it the sexiest “pay-per-view” on paper?
Maybe not, but there will be a title on the line in Salt Lake City at UFC 332, as Brazil’s Natalia Silva and China’s Wang Cong battle for the vacant women’s flyweight title.
And, if you’re a prospect hunter, Saturday’s card has a good handful of up-and-coming fighters that could become marquee attractions in the near future. If thought of in NFL terms, UFC 332 has a bit of a combine feel to it, in that we can get a glimpse of what tomorrow’s stars might look like.
With that, it’s time to ask the six burning questions for UFC 332!
1. If Mackenzie Dern’s title defense against Gillian Robertson felt hollow without Weili Zhang, how does Silva vs. Wang feel without the great Valentina Shevchenko? Does it feel like a title fight?
Petesy: If Dern vs. Robertson felt hollow, Silva vs. Cong feels like a cavernous pit. At least Dern had become champion in Zhang’s absence. We haven’t even heard what led to Valentina Shevchenko, one of the most decorated and established champions in the organization, vacating her title. Her silence begs the question, was this in any way necessary for the flyweight division?
It feels shortsighted and the fight we’re left with feels forced and like a largely unwanted title fight. The best we can hope for now is Din Thomas saying something outrageous to give us something to mull over on Monday morning. I fear we may not even get that.
Chuck: LOL.
I think you nailed it with “largely unwanted title fight.” That’s the thing that’s hard to overcome. Who was pining for a Natalia Silva vs. Wang Cong title fight? I wouldn’t have even thought to match them up in a title eliminator, though that would’ve made sense.
I was at UFC 329 in Vegas this summer, and was sitting up atop T-Mobile Arena for Cong’s fight with Tracy Cortez. It was the final early prelim, meaning it was happening in the afternoon, and there was maybe 2,000 people in the building. It was dead in there. Had anyone known Wang was a contender, who knows, but nobody did (because she wasn’t).
And also … Cortez as a springboard for a title fight? Unheard of since Matt Veach became the springboard for Frankie Edgar’s title chance back in 2010. I am happy for both Wang and Silva to get their chances, but from a fan’s perspective, this one feels like make-believe.
Natalia Silva (L) faces Wang Cong for the vacant flyweight title at UFC 332. Jeff Bottari via Getty Images
2. Natalia Silva has won all nine of her UFC fights, and 15 fights overall going back to her days on the regional scene in Brazil. Are we sleeping on her greatness?
Chuck: She has definitely crept up into her position on tiptoe, Petesy, but it’s not entirely her fault. For Silva’s UFC 324 fight with Rose Namajunas — which should’ve been seen as a changing of the guard fight — she was buried on a deep card behind Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett, Sean O’Malley vs. Song Yadong and the great Waldo Cortez-Acosta. She won that fight with flying colors, but didn’t move the needle a millimeter.
Same for her win against Alexa Grasso, which has aged like fine whiskey. Silva should’ve been bleeping on the radar at deafening levels, but the UFC hasn’t really promoted her that much. Nine UFC wins in a row is pretty incredible, especially against the strength of schedule she’s faced.
Will a dominant showing against Wang Cong wake the public up to her? The way this card is being dismissed, I’m going to say … probably not. But she deserves to be recognized, Petesy!
Petesy: I’m recognizing, Chuck, jeez.
One thing that might make this “title” fight exciting is the disparity in skillsets. Wang is known to be a sensational striker with knockout power. I say she’s “known” to be because we haven’t witnessed a stoppage from her since her UFC debut in August 2024, when she folded Victoria Leonardo like a lawn chair. Four months later, in her sophomore outing, she was tapping a tune on the Octagon’s canvas to the beat of a Gabriella Fernandes’ rear-naked choke. Well, not exactly — she was rendered unconscious, but that point stands:
I think she’s cooked if she hits the ground against Silva.
I believe Silva is levels above Fernandes when it comes to the gentle art. Perhaps this will be the performance that gets her the credit you’re calling for, Chuck. However, I must say, my overwhelming sense is that Shevchenko would beat both of these fighters, which really kills the buzz around the fight.
No one expected Wang Cong (R) to be fighting for a title next.Ian Maule via Getty Images
3. Payton Talbott has won back-to-back fights since running into Raoni Barcelos in early 2025. Does he still have big-time star potential? And moreover, do you think he can be a champion at 135?
Petesy: You mean since you cursed him, right, Chuck? You went out and visited him, placed all kinds of doubt in his mind, produced a brilliant article — and then he ran into a Brazilian freight train. Was Barcelos simply the better man, or was he greatly assisted by you, Chuck? That’s the real question here.
Alas, I love this guy. He’s a breath of fresh air. He’s kinda weird and cool at the same time. He’s like the only kid in school who had a pet snake. You were intrigued by him, but you kept a safe distance. I absolutely think he has star power. He’s unique, talented and has a fan-friendly fight style.
Forecasting him being champion is difficult, though. He’ll certainly be a contender, but the division is thriving right now and I don’t know if he has the skill set to get the better of the likes of Petr Yan, Umar Nurmagomedov, Song Yadong and Merab Dvalishvili, to name a few.
Chuck: Yeah, Talbott does find himself in some brutal company. Perhaps it’s jumping the gun to think he can stand atop a division with that many marauders. I do think he has what I might call a “Sandhagen Vibe” — the kind of guy who will surprise a name or two on that aforementioned list, being so crafty, opportunistic, cerebral. He carries solid power in his hands, which is an extinguisher for those who want to find out.
He is a very thoughtful dude, though. You mentioned owning a pet snake. He doesn’t have that, but he’s the kind of guy who goes to Burning Man and likes the occasional mushroom and who finds climbing large structures interesting (and who frees pigeons from traps whenever he can). All told, Payton Talbott has star potential in my book, though I think he is leery of such predictions.
4. Will King Green vs. Esteban Ribovics be the Fight of the Night? And why is this an automatic “yes”?
Chuck: There is one reason King Green is showing up in the swing bout at UFC 332, and it isn’t because he suspects somebody in Salt Lake is responsible for stealing his jewelry. It’s because he is an agent of chaos. Plain and simple. I know, I know, the old “lordy lordy dude is 40” mantra, but did you watch that madness against Terrance McKinney? It was like a movie where the bully is teeing off while the hero bides his time before coming to life.
Play that end sequence in slow motion and slap some classical music behind it and that fight wins an Oscar.
The pop Green got in Vegas when he finished McKinney late in that first was one of astonishment, both for the fight and his age. And the thing is, the UFC didn’t just pick Ribovics because he’s equally no-man’s-landish; they selected him because he’ll accommodate Green. I will never forget Ribovics’ battle with Daniel Zellhuber at the Sphere. That fight had a nuclear setting.
Petesy: I’m not going to disagree here, because Green and Ribovics can absolutely steal the show. The only problem is, there are several fights on this card that have the potential to beat them to it.
Roberto Soldic’s debut against Khaos Williams is guaranteed to be a violent, bloody affair. I also think Ateba Gautier being matched with Roman Kopylov is genius. The brute power of the Cameroonian against the sophisticated hands of the Russian will make for quite the spectacle.
It really is the saving grace of the card for me. Dana White always says something to the effect of “How can people criticize a card that hasn’t happened?” This card could provide him with plenty of fodder for that refrain, it’s certainly capable based on the matchups.
5. True or false: Roberto Soldic will be a welterweight contender by late 2027?
Petesy: The thing Soldic will bring to this organization is his unique brand of violence, which is exactly what UFC wants in this day and age. I believe his time with ONE Championship has probably thrown some cold water on his title aspirations, but I certainly wouldn’t rule it out.
Saturday’s fight with Khaos Williams is a serious test. “Robocop” loves getting himself into wars, and that’s exactly what Williams will be hoping for at UFC 332. This could go one way or the other as far as I’m concerned, but we should definitely have a better idea of Soldic’s potential within the division after it.
Right now, I’m not convinced, but one signature Soldic performance could have me drinking the Kool-Aid like it’s 2021 all over again.
Chuck: Yeah, if I had to guess right now, I’d say probably not. I think we will learn a lot in his first couple of fights. The Williams scrap I see as tailor-made for him to showcase what he can do, but we know UFC matchmakers are ornery. They may give him a more neutralizing opponent next time through, just to gauge his dimension.
I wonder if the UFC cares anymore about the optics when it comes to bringing in successful free agents. Back in the day we’d see a Bellator fighter — like Eddie Alvarez for instance — come over to the UFC, and there was a little worry that he’d show up the UFC’s batch of lightweights, thus proving that worldly talents exist on the outside. (Eddie did a good enough job of making the case.)
These days I don’t think it matters to the UFC as much. Anyway, that’s a rant for another day. I think Soldic could become a quick contender, but I hesitate to predict he will.
6. Of all the prospects on UFC 332, who has the greatest potential?
Chuck: This is the real story behind UFC 332. It has a lot of tomorrow’s prospects competing in the early portion of their careers. Payton Talbott obviously has a chance to do some special things in the UFC and is closer to realizing big fights as he makes his way through former champions. And Ateba Gautier looks like a Frank Frazetta creation. If he can get back to the demolition derbies of his early UFC fights, he could make a quick leap.
But give me Jacobe Smith.
Undefeated at 11-0. Has trained with his fellow Oklahoma State alum Daniel Cormier. Has power in his hands to go along with his athleticism and the wrestling base. He’s an interesting guy to talk to, as well, which doesn’t hurt. He fights Bruce Whitehead on the early prelims on Saturday, and I think he could be a force at welterweight.
Petesy: Damn, I wish UFC had packaged this card as you just described it. The promotion’s over-emphasis on main events sells this bad boy short. I’m in complete agreement with you on the intrigue surrounding several up-and-comers that may be lost on a lot of the Salt Lake City crowd.
Smith is a great shout. I fully expect him to do the business in dramatic fashion and turn Whitehead into a crimson mask in the process.
But I’m going to go for “The Baba Yaga,” Damian Pinas. He’s been dusting guys left, right and center, and I think Andrey Pulyaev will be next on the list.
(And no, it’s not entirely because he has funny name, but it does help.)
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