“Fit for a queen,” the UFC wrote on X shortly after UFC 332 wrapped up, adding that “@NataliaSilvaUFC defeats Wang Cong by Unanimous Decision to become the flyweight champion of the world!”
The fight took place Oct. 3, with the belt up for grabs because champion Valentina Shevchenko was injured. Championship Rounds posted the scorecards on X: 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46, all for Silva. South Korea’s Star News framed it as domination. The judges saw a clear win, though two of them still handed Wang a pair of rounds, so Silva earned this one over 25 minutes rather than running away with it.
Silva is a Brazilian striker with a taekwondo foundation who trains with Team Borracha. Cagefile data used for Knockout Daily’s rankings lists her at 21-5-1 and No. 2 at women’s flyweight. Back home the title landed hard. UFC Brasil greeted the morning by announcing a new Brazilian champion at the top of the division, and before the bout Merab Dvalishvili had posted that “I’m cheering for Natalia Silva.”
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Wang was no soft draw. She came up through Sanda and amateur boxing, with gold medals at the 2013 World Wushu Championships and the 2014 Asian Games plus a silver at the 2019 world boxing championships. She was ranked sixth in the UFC’s women’s flyweight rankings as of July 11, 2026. After a second-round submission loss to Gabriella Fernandes in November 2024, she rattled off four straight decisions over Bruna Brasil, Ariane da Silva, Eduarda Moura and Tracy Cortez, beating Cortez at UFC 329 in July despite losing a point for an illegal knee. She stepped into a title fight less than three months later.
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Then there’s the woman who held the belt before it went vacant. MMA Junkie reported that Shevchenko wasted no time sending a message to Silva after the event. That sets up the obvious fight once Shevchenko is healthy, and it carries an odd footnote. Wang, the opponent Silva just beat, owns a unanimous decision win over Shevchenko in kickboxing at Kunlun Fight 33 back in October 2015.
No date has been announced for Silva’s first defense. Shevchenko has already made it clear she’s watching.
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