Natalia Silva vs. Wang Cong flyweight title headlines UFC 332

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UFC 332 will feature a new women's champion.

After struggles to secure a main event for the Oct. 3 card at Delta Center in Salt Lake City (Paramount+/CBS), the promotion is moving forward with a women's flyweight championship bout between Natalia Silva and Wang Cong.

Silva (20-5-1 MMA, 8-0 UFC) was initially expected to challenge Valentina Shevchenko on the card, but Shevchenko (26-4-1 MMA, 15-3-1 UFC) has suffered an injury and Cong (10-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) was inserted into the title spot.

UFC officials announced the fight Saturday during the UFC Paris broadcast. Play-by-play voice John Gooden said Shevchenko is expected to be sidelined for at least a year, so has vacated the title.

Silva, No. 3 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie women's flyweight rankings, is undefeated in octagon tenure thus far and is riding a 14-fight winning streak overall. Her most recent three wins have come against former champions Jessica Andrade, Alexa Grasso, and Rose Namajunas.

No. 10-ranked Cong, meanwhile, gets a massive opportunity with just six promotional appearances under her belt. She's coming off four straight wins, all by decision, with her most recent being a unanimous decision over Tracy Cortez at UFC 329 in July.

With a win, Cong will get her dream goal of an MMA rematch with Shevchenko, who she defeated in a kickboxing match in October 2015. The Chinese fighter has been pushing to run it back with Shevchenko since signing with the UFC, but "The Bullet" has been dismissive and urged her rival to earn it. Now she can.

The latest UFC 332 lineup now includes:

  • Natalia Silva vs. Wang Cong – for women's flyweight title
  • Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Payton Talbott
  • King Green vs. Esteban Ribovics
  • Roberto Soldic vs. Khaos Williams
  • Ateba Gautier vs. Roman Kopylov
  • Alden Coria vs. Imanol Rodriguez
  • Damian Pinas vs. Andrey Pulyaev
  • Marcus McGhee vs. Bernardo Sopaj
  • Mick Parkin vs. Johnny Walker
  • Rafael dos Anjos vs. Alexander Hernandez
  • Ismail Naurdiev vs. Marvin Vettori
  • Court McGee vs. Eric Nolan

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Natalia Silva vs. Wang Cong flyweight title headlines UFC 332