It’s official. Natalia Silva will face Wang Cong for the now vacant UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship in the main event of UFC 332 at Salt Lake City. The bout and the stakes were made official during the UFC Paris broadcast on Saturday. Here’s the info on where the card stands now and what this means for Valentina Shevchenko. Let’s talk UFC.

Play-by-play voice John Gooden delivered the news on the broadcast. The UFC has said Shevchenko gets a title shot when she is cleared , which removes the guesswork from her path back. Neither the promotion nor its commentators clarified whether Shevchenko chose to give up the belt or was stripped of it. Her second reign ends after three defenses, over Zhang Weili, Manon Fiorot and Alexa Grasso. A Wang win also delivers the MMA rematch she has chased since signing.

Silva was already pegged to face Shevchenko on this card, though the latter was not officially offered the fight. There was a belief it would be the top fight on the Salt Lake City card. Wang stepping in is a natural fit because she is arguably the hardest-charging contender in the division. This should be an interesting striking battle for the title.

Lineup as announced. Bout order below the main event is not final.

Shevchenko is believed to be out for at least a year; so when and if she returns (she is 38 and turns 39 in March), she would presumably get a shot at the reigning champion. It sets up an interesting storyline for 2027 and beyond.

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