Natalia Silva is the new UFC women's flyweight champion.
Silva defeated Wang Cong via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) to capture the vacant title in the UFC 332 main event Saturday night at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
Silva succeeds longtime champion Valentina Shevchenko, who relinquished the belt in September due to lingering injuries. The 29-year-old Brazilian was ranked No. 1 in the division coming into the fight. Wang, meanwhile, was ranked sixth.
After the bout, Shevchenko sent a message to Silva on X.
"Well deserved Natalia! Congratulations! It's my pleasure to know that (the) UFC champion's belt is now (held by a) deserving martial artist - such as you are," Shevchenko wrote. "But don't get too comfortable. Keep it warm, I'm coming soon for my belt."
Silva was vastly superior in the first half of the main event, using footwork, movement, and an edge in speed to outwork Wang and land sharp strikes.
Wang upped her offense and was competitive with Silva in the last two rounds, but it wasn't enough to swing the scorecards in her favor.
Silva has now won nine straight fights to begin her Octagon career and is riding a 15-fight winning streak overall. She hasn't lost a bout since December 2017.
Wang, a 34-year-old from China, saw her four-fight winning streak end. She fell to 5-2 in the promotion.
