A Champion Steps In to Defend the Card
Deiveson Figueiredo, a former UFC flyweight champion, has responded to criticism of the UFC 332 fight card, saying the negative reaction from combat sports fans is a little annoying. In an interview with Guilherme Cruz, Figueiredo argued that every fighter the UFC placed on the card is prepared to deliver a great fight, and that what looks weak on paper can become strong in practice. He also admitted he did not expect to be in the co-main event, but explained that complications on the card led him to move up into that slot. The Brazilian said he is happy and sees the UFC valuing him by giving him great fights and great cards.[S1][S2]
Figueiredo is scheduled to meet Payton Talbott in a bantamweight clash that will serve as the co-main event for UFC 332. The fight carries significance for the bantamweight rankings and for Figueiredo's hopes of claiming a second UFC belt. The 38-year-old enters the bout on a two-fight skid, having been submitted by Song Yadong in the main event of UFC Macau earlier this year. That loss left him on a 1-4 run dating back to late 2024, though he began his time in the UFC bantamweight division with three straight victories after moving up from flyweight.[S1][S2]
How the Main Event Came Together
UFC 332 is scheduled for October 3 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The promotion had difficulty finding marquee talent for the five-round main event and ultimately settled on a vacant flyweight title fight between Natalia Silva and Wang Cong. The card took shape after initial reports that the UFC was targeting Valentina Shevchenko's next flyweight title defense against Silva, followed by news earlier this month that Shevchenko had suffered a serious injury and would vacate her title. With Shevchenko sidelined, the UFC moved quickly to book Silva against Cong for the vacant women's flyweight belt as the main attraction.[S1][S2]
Silva has earned her title opportunity, entering the bout at 29 years old with an 8-0 record since joining the UFC in 2022, including victories over three former UFC champions in her last three fights. Matching her with Cong for the vacant title surprised some fans, but Cong has won four straight bouts since a stunning upset loss to Gabriella Fernandes in 2024. She also defeated Shevchenko, a future UFC Hall of Famer, in a kickboxing title fight in 2015. Figueiredo, given his championship pedigree, is arguably a bigger name than either woman in the main event.[S1][S2]
Figueiredo's Read on Talbott
Figueiredo assessed Talbott's abilities ahead of their co-main event meeting, noting that the American has excellence in striking. He said he sees himself as a fighter with more excellence, and that if he competes at his level and fights aggressively, he is confident he will go right at Talbott with strong chances of scoring a knockout. Figueiredo added that he can also employ a grappling approach, describing himself as a fighter who trains all areas, so anything can happen in the bout. He said he is prepared to have a great fight against Talbott.[S2]
Talbott enters the fight with an 11-1 record and back-to-back wins over Felipe Lima and Henry Cejudo. Figueiredo, who holds a 25-7-1 record, needs a victory badly, having dropped four of his last five fights while being stopped in two of those losses. All four defeats came against top-level opposition, but he now faces a red-hot opponent in Talbott. The matchup will test whether Figueiredo can halt his slide and keep his hopes of a second UFC title alive.[S2]
