Natalia Silva captures vacant UFC women’s flyweight title as Payton Talbott stops Deiveson Figueiredo
Natalia Silva won the UFC women’s flyweight championship by unanimous decision at UFC 332, while Payton Talbott knocked out former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in the co-main event.
Natalia Silva secured the vacant UFC women’s flyweight belt on Saturday night at UFC 332, defeating China’s Cong Wang by unanimous decision after five rounds. The judges scored the bout 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 in Silva’s favor, rewarding her speed and movement that limited Wang’s striking opportunities. The fight took place before a sell-out crowd at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
In the co-main event, Payton Talbott delivered a first-round knockout of former two-time flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo. Talbott landed a straight right that sent Figueiredo to the canvas at 2:09, prompting referee Jason Herzog to stop the contest. After the victory, Talbott, who previously defeated Olympic gold-medalist Henry Cejudo, indicated he would like to face Sean O’Malley next.
Other notable results from the card included Esteban Ribovics stopping King Green by knockout in the opening round, Roberto Soldic earning a unanimous decision over Kalinn Williams, and Roman Kopylov knocking out Ateba Abugo Gautier in the first minute. The event featured several rapid finishes across the preliminaries, with fighters such as Imanol Rodriguez, Damian Pinas, Marcus McGhee, Anthony Wint, Johnny Walker, Jacobe Smith, Alexander Hernandez, Ismail Naurdiev, and Eric Nolan all recording stoppages or decisions.
The night marked a significant shift in the UFC flyweight division, with Silva becoming the new champion following Valentina Shevchenko’s injury-forced vacancy.