The rumors were indeed true. Valentina Shevchenko has suffered an injury that is expected to keep her out for up to a year, forcing the UFC to strip her of the women’s flyweight title.
As a result, Natalia Silva and Wang Cong will now fight for the vacant 125-pound gold in the main event of UFC 332 on October 3 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The promotion made the announcement during the UFC Paris telecast on Saturday.
Silva has more than earned her shot at the belt. The Brazilian is a perfect 8-0 inside the Octagon and enters the matchup riding a 14-fight winning streak. Her last three victories have come against former champions Rose Namajunas, Alexa Grasso and Jessica Andrade, making her the No. 1-ranked contender for good reason.
Had Shevchenko been healthy, Silva would have been challenging the longtime champion for the undisputed title. Standing across from her will be Wang Cong, who made an explosive debut in 2024, knocking out Victoria Leonardo in just 62 seconds before stumbling against Gabriella Fernandes in her sophomore appearance.
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She has since bounced back with four consecutive victories, most recently earning a unanimous decision over Tracy Cortez at UFC 329 in July. Wang also brings an impressive striking resume into the biggest fight of her career. The Chinese fighter won gold at the 2013 World Wushu Championships and 2014 Asian Games before claiming silver in amateur boxing at the 2019 World Championships.
She is 5-1 in the UFC and even holds a kickboxing win over Shevchenko from 2015. The matchup also makes history, as it will mark the first time women have headlined a numbered UFC event since UFC 289 in 2023, when Amanda Nunes defended her bantamweight title against Irene Aldana.
Meanwhile, No. 11-ranked bantamweight contender Payton Talbott will face former two-time flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in the night’s co-main event. Talbott started his UFC career with three straight finishes before picking up a win over fellow prospect Felipe Lima and then dominating former two-division champion Henry Cejudo.
The rest of the UFC 332 card has also taken shape. Ateba Gautier, Damian Pinas and Imanol Rodriguez are all set to compete, while longtime light heavyweight contender Johnny Walker will make the move to heavyweight for the first time in the UFC when he takes on Mick Parkin.
Pinas has wasted little time making an impression since joining the UFC, scoring first-round knockouts in each of his first two Octagon appearances. He will look to make it three straight when he takes on fellow Dana White’s Contender Series standout Andrey Pulyaev in a middleweight matchup.
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UFC 332 will also mark the Octagon debut of Roberto Soldic, who takes on Khao Williams at 170 pounds. The former KSW champion enters the UFC with plenty of hype, having famously knocked out Dricus Du Plessis during their 2018 clash in KSW.
UFC 332 had been facing some uncertainty just a month out from the event, with the promotion still searching for a headliner. The UFC had reportedly explored an interim light heavyweight title fight between Jiri Prochazka and Paulo Costa, but those plans failed to materialize. With that matchup off the table, the promotion appeared poised to elevate the previously scheduled Shevchenko-Silva fight to the main event.
Shevchenko’s injury has now changed those plans entirely. Instead, Silva and Wang will get the biggest opportunity of their careers, with the vacant women’s flyweight title on the line in what promises to be a decent main event.
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.
