UFC 332 takes place this coming Saturday night, October 3rd in Salt Lake City, Utah and we’ve got our predictions for all the fights below.
Main Card
Natalia Silva vs. Wang Cong
Natalia Silva has compiled an eight‑fight winning streak in the UFC to earn a flyweight title shot, and with Valentina Shevchenko having vacated the title due to an injury, that means she will fight Wang Cong instead, who is currently on a four-fight winning streak.
This is an unusually low‑profile headliner for a numbered UFC event, but that’s not Silva’s concern and she’ll rightly feel she’s earned the opportunity after going unbeaten in her four-year UFC run, during which she’s defeated three former champions in Rose Namajunas, Alexa Grasso and Jessica Andrade. The 29-year-old is a skilled striker with very good speed and footwork. She has accurate boxing and agile kicks that even saw her deliver back-to-back head kick and spinning back kick TKO finishes earlier in her UFC run. Despite that, Silva’s fights these days have typically seen her outstrike her opponents while staying defensively disciplined to win on the scorecards. However, while her stand-up game gets more attention these days, Silva can also wrestle and actually had a lot of success with her grappling on the Brazilian regional circuit, winning seven fights by submission, including five by armbar.
The 34-year-old Cong being handed a title shot was something of a surprise given that he’s currently ranked No.6 in the division and the sole loss n her 10-1 fight record came in her only UFC main card appearance two years ago. However, Cong brings some credibility to the occasion by the fact that she actually beat Valentina Shevchenko all the way back in 2015 while she was actively competing in kickboxing, before eventually transitioning to MMA in 2022. Cong is primarily a striker with solid technique, active output, and respectable power, including damaging low kicks, though she actually only has a couple of wins via strikes in MMA. That doesn’t seem to be a concern for her though as she’s purposefully eased off a little on her aggression and tightened up her defense during her UFC run. Cong is less assured on the mat though and tends to rely on her takedown defense to keep fights standing.
There’s an interesting contrast on the feet here, with Silva Silva being faster and more mobile, while Cong has more experience and better power. However, I think Silva is the more well-rounded fighter overall, and while she may test herself on the feet first, I think she may eventually seek to get the fight to the mat where she holds a bigger advantage, leading to a 3rd round submission victory.
Pick: Natalia Silva wins by submission in Rd3.
Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Payton Talbott
Deiveson Figueiredo features in the co-main event spot despite losing four of his last five fights, where he’ll be going up against rising bantamweight star Payton Talbott, who has gone 5–1 in the UFC.
Figueiredo’s move to 135 lbs initially looked promising, but frequently facing elite bantamweights in his late 30s has proven to be a struggle in the longer term. It doesn’t help that he’s undersized for the division, and that will be noticeable here as he’ll give up five inches of height and 2.5 inches of reach to Talbott. With that being said, Figueiredo still carries respectable power at 135lbs, and has good speed and accuracy. His patient style keeps his output low though, and so he relies more on being effective in short bursts. Figueiredo also has solid wrestling and scrambling, while he’s racked up nine career submissions too, but he’s more prone to being physically overpowered at bantamweight.
The 28-year-old Talbott arrived as a hyped Contender Series prospect back in 2023 and quickly validated that early excitement with three wins by stoppage in the Octagon. However, Raoni Barcelos was then able to get the better of him to temporarily halt his momentum, but he’s since rebounded with two wins. Talbott is a good‑sized, durable bantamweight who thrives on relentless, high‑volume pressure, maintaining accuracy and composure even while pushing a furious pace. His striking is diverse, unleashing fast boxing combinations, clean kicks, and occasional spinning attacks. Meanwhile his grappling isn’t his strongest suit, but he’s a capable wrestler, and his takedown defense has improved significantly.
Talbott has age and size on his side, and together with his much higher volume striking and good durability I think he’ll emerge with a decision win.
Pick: Payton Talbott wins by decision.
King Green vs. Esteban Ribovics
King Green rides a four‑fight winning streak into this match-up with Esteban Ribovics, who has alternated between wins and losses in his last five appearances.
Green’s uptick in form, including stoppage wins over the likes of Daniel Zellhuber, Jeremy Stephens, and Terrance McKinney was unexpected given that he’s now turned 40-years-old and just a year ago had lost three of his previous four bouts. His unorthodox, crafty boxing style remains a difficult puzzle for some opponents to solve, with his low guard, shoulder rolls, head movement and verbal taunts all being designed to lure opponents into mistakes. He capitalizes on that by countering well and being able to land effectively from unexpected angles. Green also has a capable ground game when required, backed by 10 career submission wins. Durability is a real concern at this stage in his career though, with two of his last three losses being via KO, while his fighting style relies heavily on his quick reactions and timing, which are less reliable now.
The 30-year-old Ribovics is only a few months removed from a dominant TKO victory over another 40-year-old veteran in Edson Barboza. Ribovics thrives in hard-fought striking battles, always looking to apply forward pressure with high‑volume striking backed by solid power. He’s also never been stopped by strikes, but he can rely on his chin too much and has had to show his heart and tougness to bounce back from being hurt at times. It’s worth mentioning that early in his career Ribovics actually leaned on his grappling more, collecting five submission wins, but we don’t see that much any more and he was submitted for the first time in April by Mateusz Gamrot.
I think Ribovics will be able to put Green under constant pressure here, and while he might be frustrated at times, I seem him eventually catching the veteran and then delivering a 2nd round TKO finish.
Pick: Esteban Ribovics wins by TKO in Rd2.
Roberto Soldić vs. Khaos Williams
Former ONE FC fighter Robert Soldic arrives in the UFC with a 21-4 (+1nc) career record and will debut against Khaos Williams, who lost twice last year, but then registered a 1st round TKO victory back in May.
The 31-year-old Soldic has impressive credentials for a UFC newcomer, having been a two-division KSW champion in the past who most famously had back-to-back title clashes with Dricus du Plessis in 2018, losing the first by TKO, before handing DDP his only KO loss in the rematch. The downside is that Soldic has been fairly inactive in recent years since joining ONE FC, where he only mustered a 1-1 (+1nc) run, though his last fight was a 1st round KO win. Soldic is a very dangerous fighter who has managed to stop 18 of his 21 career wins via strikes. his best weapon is his piston-like straight left, but his powerful kicks to the head and body also present a big threat. Soldic also has a background in judo and he’s able to wrestle as well if needed, though he’ll often just use his reliable takedown defense to keep fights on the feet.
Williams isn’t the most polished, accurate striker, but he’s powerful, explosive, and physically imposing at 6 feet tall with a 77‑inch reach. The 32-year-old’s UFC record currently sits at 7‑4, with five finishes by strikes, while he’s never been stopped on the feet despite his willingness to brawl. He is hittable, however, and his takedown defense remains a weakness, though he’s only been submitted once.
While Soldic’s lack of fights in recent years is problematic and Williams will be a threat with his punching power, I feel the newcomer has the better technical striking and will find openings to detonate his left hand and secure a 2nd round TKO stoppage.
Pick: Roberto Soldic wins by TKO in Rd2.
Ateba Gautier vs. Roman Kopylov
Ateba Gautier is 5-0 in the UFC so far and now fights Roman Kopylov, who lost twice last year, but picked up a decision win in his only bout so far this year.
The 24-year-old Gautier holds an 11–1 record and has performed well in the Octagon so farfar, but hasn’t really faced a notable opponent until now. Physically, he’s a very big, athletic physical specimen at 6’4″ with an 81‑inch reach, giving him four inches in height and six inches in reach over Kopylov. Gautier makes good use of that as he’s a powerful, compact puncher who also has fast kicks, heavy knees, and adds in elbows too, which has helped to nine stoppage wins so far, and often in the first round. His last couple of fights showed he can stay composed when that early finish doesn’t materialize though. His ground game remains the biggest long‑term question mark, but it’s unlikely to be a major factor in this particular matchup.
The 35-year-old Kopylov holds a 7–5 UFC record and has earned some solid wins, but has often came off second-best when going up against notable ranked opponents. He’s a solidly skilled kickboxer with a very good finishing rate, notching up 12 of his 15 wins by strikes. His best weapons are his versatile kicks from range, which have produced head‑kick stoppages of Chris Curtis and Claudio Ribeiro in the Octagon. His body attacks are also dangerous, with both kicks and punches to the midsection having ended fights in the past, and he mixes in spinning strikes effectively. Kopylov isn’t the best defensively, but he’s never been finished and has gone the distance with heavy hitters like Gregory Rodrigues and Paulo Costa. Meanwhile, his takedown defense is strong, but he’s less comfortable if forced to grapple or clinch for extended periods.
Kopylov can be competitive here, but I think Gautier’s size, physicality, and power do give him the edge, and will carry him to a 2nd round TKO finish.
Pick: Ateba Gautier wins by TKO in Rd2.
Prelims (Predicted winners in bold)
Imanol Rodríguez vs. Alden Coria
Damian Pinas vs. Andrey Pulyaev
Marcus McGhee vs. Bernardo Sopaj
Anthony Wint vs. Lucas Armand
Johnny Walker vs. Mick Parkin
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Alexander Hernandez
Marvin Vettori vs. Ismail Naurdiev
Court McGee vs. Eric Nolan
