Natalia Silva Seams Title Victory Over ‘The Joker’ at UFC 332
Salt Lake City has a religious background, and people of faith have called it home. However, the newest religion in town will be back at the Delta Center for a title fight in the Women’s Flyweight Division. The two headliners are Natalia Silva and Wang Cong. Both are in the top ten of the division, with Silva holding the number one spot in its rankings. Cong is ranked number eight and, since joining the UFC, has earned the nickname ‘The Joker’.
Silva has an impressive 20-5-1 record in the UFC and has won her last five fights. Most of her wins also come by unanimous decision. On average, the 29-year-old stayed in the fight for all three rounds and all five minutes in each round. She’s a well-rounded fighter, absorbing 2.36 strikes per minute while maintaining an overall defense of 66%. Her win-loss record is especially strong. By comparison, the five-foot-four Brazilian’s opponent cannot say the same.
Instead, ‘The Joker’ has a fight record of 10-1-0 and an overall defense of 60%. Factor in that she’s absorbing 2.73 strikes per minute, and it’s not a good outlook if she decides to go all the way against her number one-ranked competitor. She lands 6.82 strikes per minute, which will make her vicious in either a standing or ground exchange. This is significantly higher than her opponent’s 4.81 strikes per minute. If the 34-year-old can get past Silva's defense, that could mean a knockout win and a shake-up of the division’s rankings.
The crowd has thrown their lot in with Silva naturally, as it's likely she’ll come out on top with a decision win. She has the stamina, and she’s done it several times before. She’s also cautious but tactical about when and where she lands her strikes. If ‘The Joker’ decides to go in for a takedown, she’s even got an impressive takedown defense of 90%. That means the fight will mostly be standing, so if Cong wants a win, she’ll have to come out swinging hard and fast to secure a knockout.
The statistics are largely not in her favor, though. However, every fight is different, and in the moment of someone’s uppercut, hammer fist, or takedown, a planned defense can fail. That is why the Brazilian fighter should plan for an aggressive start to tire her opponent down. Then, once the openings are clear, go for scoring the most points on the scorecard to cement another unanimous-decision win. The best way to watch this rising champion is to stream the fight live on Paramount+ starting at 8:00 p.m. EDT!
