UFC 332 finally has its headliner four weeks before it happens. During Saturday afternoon’s broadcast of UFC Paris, it was announced that Valentine Shevchenko had vacated the flyweight title because of an injury that would sideline her for around a year. Competing for the now-vacant belt are Natalia Silva and Cong Wang, marking both the first women’s headliner under CBS/Paramount and the first time women’s flyweights headline a numbered event.
Reception to the Silva and Wang booking has been overwhelmingly negative, with many fans decrying it as among the worst headliners in modern UFC history. This writer, however, believes that the blowback is too much and that the fight itself presents much intrigue.
The Silva-Wang main event, despite the outcry, was the logical choice. To truly understand how it got to this point, it first helps to understand the state of the flyweight division outside of Shevchenko.
Looking at the latest iteration of the women’s flyweight rankings, one can see why Silva-Wang was made: there were no other options available within the top 10. Manon Fiorot and Alexa Grasso are already fighting each other next week. Jasmine Jasudavicius is hosting Erin Blanchfield in Edmonton next month. Maycee Barber, Tracy Cortez, Rose Namajunas, and Miranda Maverick are coming off losses.
As the only two remaining fighters with any momentum, Silva and Wang made the most sense to be paired with each other. Now, they look to usher in a new era for their division.
Silva’s title shot is a long time coming. The Brazilian is on an incredible 14-win streak, eight of them in the Octagon. She has proven herself a very deadly striker, as evidenced by her consecutive knockouts of Tereza Bleda and Victoria Leonardo. Silva’s last three wins have seen her claim decisions over former champions Jessica Andrade, Grasso, and Rose Namajunas.
Particularly, Silva’s win over Grasso would have meant challenging Shevchenko, who beat Fiorot that same night, next. Alas, the UFC chose to chase the money and gave the next shot to Weili Zhang, who vacated the strawweight belt in the process. Silva instead faced one final test in Namajunas, and while the fight proved more competitive than expected, she came out victorious to make herself undeniable.
Now, Silva gets her chance to wear gold, even if it is not against someone she had envisioned. Standing in her way, however is one of the promotion’s fastest-ascending challengers…
Since Wang’s stunning loss to Fernandes, she has been on a four-win streak. Not many people will know, however, as it has played out entirely in the prelims, which helps to explain the negativity surrounding the fight. After all, if contenders, especially female ones, are constantly buried that low in the cards, how can fans buy into their title prospects?
That being said, the UFC will prefer that Wang win for one reason: their history. “The Joker” holds a 2015 kickboxing win over Shevchenko, though “Bullet” has disputed the judging of that fight. As recently as this May, Wang was taking potshots at Shevchenko, particularly over the then-champion’s withdrawal from a fan session the week of UFC Macau.
The enmity between Wang and Shevenko is real. To secure the grudge match, though, Wang must first do what no one has since 2017: defeat Silva.
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As if UFC 332’s main event has not endured enough ridicule already, the rest of the card is also drawing much outrage for its perceived lack of quality. That, however, belies the quality of the fighters involved.
The co-main sees Payton Talbott looking to add a second straight former champion to his list of victims, as he draws Deiveson Figueiredo. The former flyweight king has been on a rough stretch so far this year, suffering lopsided losses against Umar Nurmagomedov and Yadong Song. At 39 years of age, Talbott probably knows that he is nearing the end of an illustrious career, so he will want nothing less than one final run.
Elsewhere, former KSW two-weight champion Roberto Soldic makes his promotional debut against fellow knockout artist Kalinn “Khaos” Williams. Johnny Walker joins his younger half-brother Valter at heavyweight when he takes on Mick Parkin. Finally, former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos returns from a devastating knee injury after nearly two years against Alexander Hernandez.
While the UFC 332 card is certainly far from the best, it is not that bad. Maybe the lack of stakes will motivate the fighters more than if there were any, and whatever audience it captures could get a treat…
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