UFC 332 Shatters Knockout Records in Salt Lake City — SkimNews
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- UFC 332 set modern-era records in Salt Lake City for most KOs, most Round 1 KOs, and most consecutive Round 1 KOs on a single card.
- Natalia Silva won the vacant women's flyweight championship over Wang Cong in a 25-minute main event, with the author pointing to Valentina Shevchenko (who vacated due to injury) or an Alexa Grasso rematch as the clearest next fight.
- Payton Talbott, 28, earned a star-making win over former two-division champion Deiveson Figueiredo and now holds consecutive victories over former champions; the author prefers a Cory Sandhagen matchup over Talbott's called-out Sean O'Malley fight.
- Deiveson Figueiredo looked "terrible" and "terrified of taking damage" in his loss, with the author recommending a fight against Marcus McGhee, who scored a Round 1 KO on three days' notice Saturday.
- Esteban Ribovics knocked down King Green three times in short succession and barely took damage, positioning himself for the lightweight rankings against the Renato Moicano vs. Tom Nolan winner (UFC Fight Night on Halloween).
- King Green is recommended to face the loser of Dan Hooker vs. Brian Ortega (Nov. 21 in Qatar) for a guaranteed action fight, rather than being fed to young rising talent.
- Erin Blanchfield vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius fight Oct. 17 in Edmonton, with the winner advancing in the women's flyweight division and the loser potentially meeting Wang Cong for a rebound opportunity.
Why it matters: UFC 332's record-setting knockout volume in Salt Lake City reshuffled matchmaking across three divisions, crowning a new women's flyweight champion in Natalia Silva and elevating Payton Talbott from prospect to contender. The author pushes back on the obvious bookings like O'Malley-Talbott in favor of stylistic matchups (Sandhagen) that better test the new champions and rising prospects.
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