SALT LAKE CITY — Natalia Silva battles Wang Cong for the vacant UFC women's flyweight title this Saturday at UFC 332 in Salt Lake City, with Brazil positioned to make history by holding all three women's belts before the end of 2026 if Silva and Amanda Nunes both deliver alongside reigning champion Mackenzie Dern.
Silva is confident she will do her part and believes Nunes will follow at bantamweight. "I really believe in that," Silva told MMA Fighting about Brazil holding all three belts. "I'm going to do my part Saturday. I'm going after the belt. I've dedicated myself a lot to this, trained really hard, spent a month living in Mexico, training in Mexico because of the altitude. I gave up a lot of things to live this experience, to train, to focus only on the fight, and I'm going to do my part. And I also believe Amanda has all the potential to do it. Three Brazilian champions at the same time would be a milestone in history. It would be a milestone, a historic moment for women's and Brazilian MMA."
Silva enters 8-0 under the UFC banner after beating three former champions in a row by decision against Jessica Andrade, Alexa Grasso and Rose Namajunas. The vacant title opportunity came after Valentina Shevchenko relinquished the belt to treat an injury, while Wang earned her shot after a fourth straight UFC win with a decision against Tracy Cortez. "From the very beginning, I always saw myself as a champion," Silva said. "Ever since I arrived, that little girl from Minas Gerais, quietly working her way up and saying, 'Guys, I came here to be a champion.'"
"Whether it's by beating Valentina or not, if I win the title, I'm the undisputed champion," Silva said. "Regardless of whether it was against her or against someone else. I was prepared to fight her, I wanted to fight her. If she got injured and couldn't be there, that's out of my hands." She added, "There's someone who is just as good as Valentina standing on the other side [of the cage]. I prepared to have the toughest fight of my career regardless of who it was. I'm just living in the moment."
The Brazilian sweep hinges on two dates. Silva headlines the Salt Lake City card against Wang, who says her title shot was earned, not surprising, while Nunes faces champion Kayla Harrison in the co-main event of UFC 334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York. It remains unclear how long Shevchenko will be sidelined or whether she will return at flyweight or chase a second belt at bantamweight.