Brazilian 'Taekwondo Fighter' Natalia Dominates China's Wang Cong... Rises to UFC Flyweight Champion

*This content was translated by AI.

'Taekwondo Fighter' Natalia Silva (29, Brazil) has ascended to become the new queen of the UFC women's flyweight division.

Silva secured a unanimous decision victory (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) over ranked No. 8 'Joker' Wang Cong (34, China) in the main event of 'UFC 332: Silva vs. Wang Cong,' held at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, on the 4th (Korean time), to claim the vacant championship belt.

This title fight came about after former champion Valentina Shevchenko voluntarily relinquished her title due to an injury that prevented her from defending it for the time being, setting up a matchup between No. 1 ranked Silva and No. 8 ranked Wang Cong.

It was a bout where Silva's sharp kicks and steps, backed by her Taekwondo black belt, shone brightly. Silva dominated long-range striking exchanges with active footwork. Each time Wang Cong, who has a background in Wushu Sanda, closed the distance to throw punches, Silva stopped her with precise left check-hook counters. She also dominated in grappling exchanges, successfully executing takedowns after kick catches and maintaining an advantage in clinch battles. In particular, she secured a knockdown with a lightning-fast left head kick in the second round, completely controlling the first three rounds.

Wang Cong, who was on the back foot, launched a fierce counterattack starting from the fourth round. She aggressively advanced to land a right overhand punch, shifting the momentum, and in the final fifth round where she needed a finish, she dealt significant damage to Silva with a left hook and a right straight. However, Silva calmly weathered Wang Cong's intense late-game onslaught to close out the fight with a victory.

With this, Silva has extended her winning streak to nine fights since entering the UFC, achieving 15 consecutive wins in mixed martial arts (MMA) overall. Her career record now stands at 21 wins, 1 draw, and 5 losses.

New champion Silva shared her thoughts during an Octagon interview, stating, "I am incredibly happy. I want to convey that no matter how dark the times or how difficult the moments may be, never give up and keep moving forward."

She continued, "This is now my era. The Natalia Silva dynasty has begun, and I am the queen," adding, "People criticized me and said I was not qualified, but no one can judge another person's qualifications. Just go out there and challenge."

Former champion Shevchenko, who had stepped down from the title, also reacted immediately. Through social media, Shevchenko congratulated Silva on her rise to champion, saying, "I am happy that a qualified martial artist like you has taken the belt," while issuing a warning: "Do not get too comfortable. If I keep the belt warm for you, I will come back to reclaim my title soon."

If Shevchenko recovers from her injury and returns to challenge for the title, it would result in a rare 'title fight between Taekwondo black belts' in UFC history. Silva began practicing Taekwondo at age 16 and earned her black belt, while Shevchenko holds a certified second dan rank. A title fight between Taekwondo black belts in the UFC has not occurred since the lightweight bout between Ben Henderson and Anthony Pettis in 2013.

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*This content was translated by AI.