Silva Heavy Favorite Over Wang Cong for Vacant UFC Title — SkimNews
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- Natalia Silva meets Wang Cong for the vacant UFC women's flyweight title Saturday at UFC 332 in Salt Lake City, with Silva installed as a -205 favorite and Cong a +170 underdog via DraftKings
- The title became vacant after Valentina Shevchenko suffered a back and shoulder injury that will sideline her for at least a year; UFC had reportedly been building toward Silva vs. Shevchenko before pivoting
- Silva has won all eight of her UFC bouts and 14 consecutive fights overall, including three straight wins over former champions, per CBS Sports' fight team
- Payton Talbott (-750) faces former two-time flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo (+525) in the co-main; the 38-year-old Figueiredo has lost four of his last five and missed weight earlier this year before being stopped inside two rounds in July
- The card also features Roberto Soldic's UFC promotional debut against Khaos Williams at welterweight, Esteban Ribovics vs. King Green (31st Octagon walk), and unbeaten prospect Ateba Gautier vs. Roman Kopylov
- All three CBS Sports experts (Brian Campbell, Brent Brookhouse, Shakiel Mahjouri) picked Silva to win, with Campbell and Brookhouse projecting a decision and Mahjouri citing Cong's short-notice weight cut as the decisive factor
- UFC 332 airs live on CBS starting at 8 p.m. ET and streams on Paramount+ alongside every other UFC numbered event and Fight Night
Why it matters: A Silva win officially installs her as the face of a division Shevchenko owned for years. For Figueiredo, a -750 line against him — combined with the recent weight miss and four losses in five — signals the UFC is openly using the former great as a measuring stick for Talbott's rise at bantamweight.
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