UFC 332: Is Anyone Focused On The Wrong Thing About Saturday's Card? 6 Burning Questions

Is it sexiest on the “pay-per-view” card?

Maybe not, but a title will be on the line in Salt Lake City at UFC 332 as Brazil’s Natalia Silva and China’s Wang Cong battle for the vacant women’s flyweight title.

And, if you’re a hunting prospect, Saturn’s card has good fighters up and coming. could They have become marquee attractions in the near future. If you think about it in NFL terms, UFC 332 has something to do with it, so let’s see what the stars of tomorrow look like.

Now is the time to ask six burning questions for UFC 332!

1. If Mackenzie Dern’s title defense against Julianne Robertson felt hollow without Weili Zhang, how does Silva vs Wang feel without the great Valentina Shevchenko? Does it feel like a title fight?

Petey: If Dern vs Robertson felt hollow, Silva vs Cong feels like a cavernous pit. At least Dern had become a champion in Zhang’s absence. Nor have we heard what led Valentina Shevchenko, one of the most decorated and established champions in the organization, to give up her title. His silence begs the question, was this absolutely necessary for the flying division?

It feels hesitant and we’re left with a fight that feels forced and like a largely unwanted title fight. The best we can hope for now is for Din Thomas to say something unworthy of giving us something to discuss on Monday morning. For that fear neither.

Chuck: lol

I think you’re stuck with the “most unwanted competition title”. This is what is difficult to overcome. Who’s rooting for the Natalie Silva vs. Wang Cong title fight? I didn’t even think they would face each other in the eliminator title, but you got that feeling.

I was at UFC 329 in Vegas this summer and sat above the T-Mobile Arena for Cong’s fight with Tracy Cortez. It was the last show in the morning, which was happening in the afternoon, and maybe 2,000 people were in the building. He was dead there. If anyone knew Wang was contending, who knows, but no one did (because he wasn’t).

And also…Cortez for the HAT title fight? Unheard of since Matt Veach sourced France’s Edgar’s title shot back in 2010. I’m happy for both Wang and Silva to get their shot, but from a fan perspective, this one feels like believable.

Natalia Silva (L) will face Wang Cong for the vacant flyweight title at UFC 332.

(Jeff Bottari via Getty Images)

2. Natalia Silva has won all nine of her UFC fights and 15 fights overall going back to her days in Brazil. Are we sleeping in his greatness?

Chuck: He totally crept into his position on tiptoe, Petesy, but it’s not his fault at all. For Silva’s UFC 324 fight with Rose Namajunas — which was seen as a matchup for the Warriors — he was buried on the undercard behind Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett, Sean O’Malley vs. Song Yadong and the great Waldo Cortez-Acosta. She won the fight with flying colors, but she didn’t move the needle a millimeter.

He also wins against Alexa Grasso, who is as old as thin whiskey. Silva has been grappling in the arenas, the UFC hasn’t really promoted much. Nine UFC wins in a row is pretty incredible, especially against the strength of that card.

Will the dominant showing against Wang Cong arouse the public to it? The way this paper was released, I’m going to say…probably not. But she it deserves be recognized, Petesy!

Petey: I appreciate it, Chuck, jeez.

One thing that this “title” could do is the disparity in artesets. Sensational striker Wang is known to have knockout power. I say she’s “famous” because we haven’t seen her stop since her UFC debut in August 2024, when she pinned Victoria Leonardo like a lawn chair. Four months later, in her sophomore year, she choked out Gabriella Fernandes’ backside-bare kick as she hit the wall of the Octagon. Well, not exactly – it was done unknowingly, but the fact stands;

I think it’s cooked if it hits the ground against Silva.

I believe Silva can match Fernandes when it comes to soft skills. Perhaps this will give him the faith you ask for, Chuck. However, needless to say, my overwhelming feeling is that Shevchenko will beat both of these fighters, which really kills the buzz around the fight.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 11: Wang Cong of China, (R), punches Tracy Cortez of the United States in a women's flyweight bout at T-Mobile Arena on July 11, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo Ian Maule/Getty Images) — No one thought that Wang Cong (R) would be fighting for the next title.
(Ian Maule via Getty Images)

3. Payton Talbott has won back-to-back fights with Raon Barcelos at the start of 2025. Does he still have big time star potential? And you also think that he is the avenger at 135?

Petey: You say you’ve been cursed since, right, Chuck? You went out and visited him, I put all kinds of doubts in my mind, he published an excellent article – and then he ran into a Brazilian freight train. Is Barcelos simply better, or has he been greatly helped by you, Chuck? Here is the real problem.

Oh, I love this guy. The breeze is a fresh breath. He’s kind of creepy and cool at the same time. He was like the only kid in school who had a pet snake. You were ambushed by him, but you kept a safe distance. I absolutely think he has star power. He is unique, talented, and has a friendly fighting style.

It is more difficult for him to predict the winner, but. He will certainly be a contender, but the division is thriving right now and I don’t know if he has the skills to beat the likes of Petr Yan, Umar Nurmagomedov, Song Yadong and Merab Dvalishvili, to name a few.

Chuck: Yeah, Talbot found himself in some terrible company. Maybe he jumps the gun because he thinks he can stand up to the division with a lot of robberies. I think he has what I would call the “Sandhagen Vibe” – the kind of guy who would surprise a name or two on the aforementioned list, so smart, opportunistic, and cerebral. In his hands he carries solid power, which is an extinguishing agent for those who seek it.

He’s a very curious dude, though. You have a pet called a snake. He doesn’t have it, but he’s the kind of guy who goes to Fire Man and enjoys the occasional mushroom and who finds it interesting in large structures (and who frees pigeons from traps whenever he can). All that said, Payton Talbott has star potential in my book, though I think he’s going to make predictions.

4. Will Rex Green vs. Esteban Ribovics be the fight of the night? Why is this automatic “yes”?

Chuck: The Green King is showing up for a fight at UFC 332 for one reason, and it’s not because he suspects that someone in the Salt Lake is responsible for stealing his jewelry. It is because the agent is chaos. Plain and simple. I know, I know, I know “Lord lord dude 40” Lakers, but did you see the madness against Terrance McKinney? It was like a movie where the impulse shakes as the hero bids his time before he comes to life.

The end of that sequence plays in slow motion and slaps classical music behind it and that wins the Oscar fight.

Pop Green got Vegas when McKinney just finished in that first stunner for both the fight and the age. And the thing is, the UFC didn’t just pick Ribovic, which is equally a no-man’s land; that they chose him to accommodate Green I’ll never forget Ribovic’s fight with Daniel Zellhuber on Sphere. She had a nuclear attack.

Petey: I don’t disagree here, because Green and Ribovics can absolutely steal the show. The only problem is, there are several fights on this card that have the potential to beat him.

Robert Soldic’s debut against Khaos Williams is guaranteed to be a violent and bloody affair. I also think that Ateba Gautier is on par with Kopylov in terms of talent. The brute force of the Cameronians against the urbane hands of the Russians will make quite a show.

It really is the saving grace of my card. Dana White always has something to the effect of “How can people criticize a card that isn’t made?” This card could provide him with plenty of fodder to stay away from, he is certainly a good match in the links.

5. True or false: Will Roberto Soldic be a welterweight contender in late 2017?

Petey: Soldic will bring a unique brand of violence to this event, which is exactly what the UFC wants in this era. I believe his time with UNA Smile probably threw cold water on the aspirational title, but certainly not to rule.

Saturday’s fight with Khaos Williams is a serious test. “Robocop” likes to get into fights, and that’s exactly what Williams is hoping for at UFC 332. I may go one way or the other, but we should have a better idea of Soldier’s potential within the division after that.

Now, I’m not convinced, but one signature Soldic performance could make me drink the Kool-Aid like it’s 2021 again.

Chuck: Yeah, if I could guess already, I probably wouldn’t say that. We will learn a lot in the first two fights. The Williams PIECE of video tailor made for him to show what he can do, but we know that the UFC winners are orneryos. The more they can corrupt the adversary by themselves, the more he guesses his reasoning.

I wonder if the UFC cares anymore about the prospect when it comes to implementing free agents. Back in the day, we were seeing a Warrior fighter – like Eddie Alvarez – transfer to the UFC, and there was little concern that he would show up at UFC heavyweights, thus proving that worldly talents are out there. (Eddie is doing a pretty good job).

I don’t think it matters much to the UFC these days. Anyway, that’s a rant for another day. I think Soldic could You have become a quick conversationalist, but you want to predict when you are stuck.

6. UFC 332 all-rounder, who has the most potential?

Chuck: This is the real story behind UFC 332. It has a lot of expectations for tomorrow’s competition in the first part of its events. Payton Talbott obviously has some special opportunities in the UFC and is getting closer to realizing big fights as he makes his way through former champions. And Ateba Gautier’s creation is like Frank Frazetta. If he can get back to the sporting upsets of his first UFC fight, he can make a quick jump.

But give me James Smith.

Unbeaten at 11-0. Daniel Cormier, an Oklahoma State student, trained with his partner. There is strength in the hands with athleticism and grappling to match the base. He’s an interesting guy to talk to, as well, which doesn’t hurt. He fights Bruce Whitehead in the first round on Saturday and I think he can be strong at welterweight.

Petey: Damn, I wish the UFC had given out a bunch of cards like you just described. The promotion’s over-emphasis on the main events sells this bad boy short. I completely agree with you about the motivation to be surrounded by some up-and-comers who can get lost in the many crowds of the city.

It is a great shout for the Smith. I fully expect him to do a dramatic job and turn Whitehead into a red mask in the process.

But I’m going to “Baba Yaga,” by Damian Pinas. He’s been spraying guys left, right and center, and I think Andrey Pulyaev is going to be next on the list.

(No, not at all because it has a funny name, but it helps.)

UFC 332: Is anyone focused on the wrong thing about Saturday’s card? 6 burning questions