UFC 332 Live Updates, Highlights and Results

A record number of KOs for tonight's event. What it lacked in star power, it made up for with action in the octagon.

UFC 332 was one of the best cards of the year, so it's no surprise it left us with a lot to unpack.

Here are three big takeaways from this action-packed night in SLC.

Silva is Shevchenko's Rightful Heir 

It's a real shame that Valentina Shevchenko decided to vacate the UFC women's flyweight title. She is one of the greatest female fighters of all time, and a real pleasure to watch as a defending champion. The good news is that the division now has a suitable replacement to sit on the throne while Shevchenko recovers from the injury that ended her reign. That would be Natalia Silva, who claimed the vacant belt with an impressive decision win over Wang Cong in Saturday's main event. The win affirmed what many already knew: that Silva is the second-best flyweight in the world behind Shevchenko, and maybe even the best outright. She's now riding 15 consecutive wins, including many over former champions and top contenders. She absolutely deserves to be in the position she's in now, and is the right woman to rule to roost in Shevchenko's stead.

Talbott vs. O'Malley is the Fight to Make 

After Payton Talbott wiped out Deiveson Figueiredo in Saturday's bantamweight co-main event, he's probably only one more win away from a title shot. He's now riding back-to-back wins over former champs, and has been pretty much perfect in the Octagon outside of a shock loss to Raoni Barcelos. He's almost there. The obvious fight to make for him from here is a clash with former champ Sean O'Malley, who he called out post-fight. O'Malley is right on the cusp of a title shot himself, on the strength of recent wins over Aiemann Zahabi and Song Yadong. However, he'll likely need to do a little more to make it happen, so a fight with Talbott makes sense for him too. It would be an awesome scrap. The two fighters have very similar builds and fighting styles, and stand out as two of the slickest and most powerful fighters in the weight class. Book it, and give the winner a crack at whomever is holding the belt. 

Smith, Wint, and Pinas Need Real Tests

On the UFC 332 main card, surging middleweight prospect Ateba Gautier got the toughest test of his career in the form of Roman Kopylov. He didn't pass it, suffering a first-round knockout loss instead. It's now time for undercard winners Damian Pinas, Anthony Wint and Jacobe Smith to get the same kinds of tests in their divisions. All three of them scored first-round finishes on Saturday, but all three of them were matched up with very, very low-level opposition, just as they have in previous UFC appearances. The UFC matchmakers need to take the training wheels off for the bunch of them, and match them up with higher quality opponents. That's not to say they should be fighting ranked opposition, but they should be fighting people who actually have the skills and experience to challenge them. Pinas could fight somebody like Michał Oleksiejczuk, for example. Wint could fight Sean Sharaf, who he called out post-fight. Smith could fight somebody like Nicolas Dalby. You get the idea. Not world-beaters, but not guys making their UFC debuts, either. It's time. 

Brazil's Natalia Silva is the new UFC flyweight champion. She assumed the division's throne following a decision win over China's Wang Cong in the main event of UFC 332.

While Silva had some success with her wrestling in the fight, she won it on the feet, relying on a clear speed advantage and an unusual taekwondo style of striking to frustrate her opponent. Wang rallied a bit toward the end of the fight, but by that point, it was too little to late.

With her win, the new flyweight champ improves to 21-5-1. She's now won 15 fights in a row. While there are definitely some interesting fights ahead for her, such as a rematch with former champ Alexa Grasso, the biggest fight will always be a scrap with Valentina Shevchenko, who vacated the belt with an injury. Hopefully, that one happens at some point.

In defeat, Wang falls to 10-2 in MMA. She had not lost in four fights.

Natalia Silva appears to be firmly in control of this fight after three rounds. Her speed, versatility, and unusual approach to striking seem to have Wang Cong totally confounded.

Time for the championship rounds. The belt is still well within reach for both women.

After 13 fights—nine of which ended by first-round stoppage—we've reached the main event of the evening.

You know the story on this one. Valentina Shevchenko has vacated the strawweight belt while she recovers from an injury, clearing the way for Brazil's Natalia Silva and Chinese "Joker" Wang Cong to fight for the vacant throne.

Silva (20-5-1) has been deserving of a title opportunity for some time, and is currently riding 14 straight wins, including decision defeats of former champs Rose Namajunas, Alexa Grasso, and and Jessica Andrade.

Wang (10-1), who famously holds a kickboxing win over Shevchenko, has only won four straight, but has proven herself as a top talent at flyweight, with the kind of firepower you don't usually see in the weight class.

It's a clash between two fighters with totally differing styles, and it should be an entertaining and technical affair.

Over to you, Bruce Buffer.

Payton Talbott was on another level at UFC 332, sniping Deiveson Figueiredo multiple times en route to a first-round TKO—the ninth of the night so far.

The victory, which featured all of the elite timing, shot-selection and power that make Talbott so special, pushes him onto a three-fight streak, and brings is record to 12-1.

At this point, he's probably only a win away from a title shot. A showdown with "Suga" Sean O'Malley, who he called out post-fight, seems like the perfect choice for his final test before a championship opportunity.

In defeat, Figueiredo is now 25-8-1. He's now lost five of his last six, which effectively puts an end to his dream of becoming a two-division champ.

The BMF title will be up for grabs in the UFC 335 main event, commentator Jon Anik revealed during Saturday's main card main event. This time, it will be current BMF titleholder Charles Oliveira taking on former featherweight title challenger Diego Lopes at lightweight.

Oliveira will be looking to build on the momentum of a lopsided decision win over Max Holloway last time out. Lopes, meanwhile, is riding a knockout win over Steve Garcia.

They'll have five rounds to work with, but given their finishing ability, they may not need it.

It's now time for our co-main event of the evening: a bantamweight clash between Payton Talbott and Deiveson Figueiredo.

Talbott (11-1), one of the fastest-rising contenders in the division, was last in action late last year, when he defeated Henry Cejudo by decision in the best performance of his career to date. That win brought him to 5-1 in the UFC.

Brazil's Figueiredo (25-7-1) is a former flyweight champion. While he's had some good wins as a bantamweight, he's lost four of his last five, most recently being submitted by song yadong. He's definitely got a lot to prove in this fight, and will most likely tumble out of the title conversation for good if he fails to pull it off.

It should be underway in minutes.

Bobby Green looked like he was settling right into his lightweight fight with Esteban Ribovics, throwing awkward punches, stylishly evading most of those came in return, and talking trash throughout. Then Ribovics cranked up the offense. The Argentinian fighter dropped Green once, then again, and finally, a third time, at which point referee Herb Dean jumped in to stop the fight.

The win puts Ribovics onto a two-fight streak, and pushes his record to 17-3. He could be looking at a ranked opponent next.

Green, meanwhile, has a four-fight streak derailed. He's now 36-18-1, but at 40 years old, still seems to have a good deal to give the sport.

Up next, we've got a lightweight scrap between the veteran King Green and Argentina's Esteban Ribovics, which has turned into a bit of a grudge match thanks to some Fight Week trash talk.

Green (36-17-1) will be looking to extend four-fight win streak. That's a pretty impressive accomplishment considering he's now 40 years old, and a fifth straight win would be all the more commendable.

Ribovics (16-3), who missed weight by half a pound, will be looking to build on the momentum of a stoppage win over another veteran in Edson Barboza. That was preceded by a submission loss to Mateusz Gamrot.

A win could set either man up for a fight with a ranked opponent, and there's clearly a score to settle too. The stakes are high for a number of reasons, so it should be a great fight.

Former two-division KSW champ Roberto Soldic had to deal with some adversity early in his UFC debut, as he was dropped twice by big punches from Khaos Williams. After finishing the round with a late takedown, however, he took complete control of the fight with his high-level striking in round two, effectively engaging in target practice with Williams' body and head. He hurt the American multiple times. Soldic then once again turned to his wrestling in round three, controlling several minutes of action from top position. Williams returned to his feet in the final moment, it was too little, too late.

All three judges scored it for Soldic, for a successful UFC debut.

The Croatian is now 22-4 in MMA. He can look forward to a ton of fun fights in the UFC welterweight division. Hopefully, he gets a ranked opponent next. He's good enough that it's justifiable.

In defeat, Williams falls to 16-6. He's now 2-3 in his last five.

The UFC dropped some big news between fights.

Former light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira will return to action at UFC 335 on on Dec. 12. He'll take on former interim title challenger Sergei Pavlovich at heavyweight. It'll be his chance to rebound from a knockout loss to Ciryl Gane in his heavyweight debut, but it's an undeniably scary fight for him, as Pavlovich is one of the hardest hitters in the division, with a lot of momentum behind him.

It's now time for the UFC debut of former KSW champ Roberto Soldic.

Soldic (21-4), who has also competed in ONE Championship, will make his debut in a welterweight fight against Khaos William (16-5).

It will be his first fight since a vicious knockout win over Dagi Arslanaliev under the ONE banner early last year. That win separated him from a shock knockout loss to former ONE champ Zebaztian Kadestam.

Williams has been in the UFC for a while. He's currently riding a knockout win over Nikolay Veretennikov, which separated him from back-to-back losses.

Though their styles differ a bit, both Soldic and Williams are aggressive knockout strikers, so this one could be over in a flash.

Let's see if we're in for a ridiculous eighth first-round finish in a row.

Roman Kopylov just scored a big upset at the expense of Ateba Gautier — and he did it by knockout in the first round!

The Russian middleweight got off to a good start, repeatedly stinging his hulking Cameroonian adversary with straight punches. As the round wore down, he landed one that was particularly peppery, and then followed up with a two-punch combo. Gautier immediately dropped, and Kopylov followed him to the ground to finish him with ground strikes.

That's now seven first-round finishes in a row—a new record for the UFC.

Kopylov's contribution to this record-breaking night brings him to 16-5 overall, and puts him on a two-fight streak. After this stunning performance against such a highly regarded prospect, he can probably expect a date with a pretty big name, possibly inside the top-15.

In defeat, Gautier slips to 11-2. This is definitely a big setback for him, but he's still just 24, so he's got lots of time to rebound.

Not long after Damian Pinas cemented himself as one of the hottest contenders in the middleweight division, another red-hot knockout artist will attempt to do the same in the main card opener.

That, of course, would be Cameroon's Ateba Gautier.

Gautier, like Pinas, currently sits at 11-1 at 24 years old. He's now 5-0 in the UFC, with four of those victories coming by way of knockout. He'll look to make it 6-0 at the expense of Roman Kopylov (15-5), a well-established fringe contender who represents the stiffest test of his career by far.

Kopylov, from Russia, is riding a decision win over Marco Tulio, which got him back on track after decision losses to a pair of elite middleweights in Gregory Rodrigues and Paulo Costa. He faces a scary challenge here, but surely has a few tricks prepared for his power-punching opponent.

It will get underway shortly after 8:00 ET.

Imanol Rodriguez is a fighter to watch at 125 pounds.

The rising flyweight from Mexico scored an awesome win in Salt Lake City, walking Alden Coria down, blasting him with punches, and finally putting him away with a stabbing front kick to the midsection. All inside a round.

What a win. What an undercard! That's six first-round KOs in a row. The people who skipped this one are going to wish they didn't!

Rodriguez's win brings him to 8-0 as a pro, and 2-0 in the UFC. It seems like a matter of time before he's fighting ranked opposition.

Coria is now 13-4 and stomaching his first taste of defeat in the UFC.

We've reached the final bout of the UFC 332 undercard, a fun-looking flyweight bout between prospects Imanol Rodriguez (7-0) and Alden Coria (13-3).

Rodriguez, who came through The Ultimate Fighter and Contender Series, will be looking to build a knockout Kevin Borjas in his UFC debut.

Coria has gone 3-0 since joining the UFC roster, most recently beating Stewart Nicoll by decision.

The winner of this one will take a big step up the flyweight ladder, and it should be pretty entertaining. Unfortunately, there's still about 40 minutes to kill before the main card, so there may be a bit of a delay before we get to the fight.

Damian Pinas is elite.

The Surinamese striker once again showed off his ridiculous knockout power in Salt Lake City, sparking Andrey Pulyaev with a rocket-powered uppercut. It was one of the cleanest one-punch knockouts of the year so far.

With this highlight reel win, Pinas improves to 11-1, and 3-0 in the UFC. That's pretty darn impressive considering he's still only 24. He really seems like a title contender waiting to happen.

In defeat, Pulyaev slips to 10-6 overall, and 1-4 in the Octagon. That's not great, but he keeps getting matched up with really, really good fighters, so he deserves a bit of a pass.

It's time for our second of three middleweight bouts of the night. This one will pit Damian Pinas (10-1) against Andrey Pulyaev (10-5).

Pinas, a striker from the kickboxing hotbed of Suriname, will be looking for a third UFC win after knockout victories in his first two fights with the promotion.

Pulyaev, from Russia, obviously doesn't have the greatest looking record, and has gone a tough 1-3 in his first four UFC bouts, but deserves some props for fighting some shockingly high-level opposition, including Christian Leroy Duncan, Ateba Gautier and Nursulton Ruziboev.

Marcus McGhee was just too much for Anthony Romero at UFC 332.

Romero actually had some real success early in the first round of their featherweight fight, but just when it looked like he might spring the upset, he was dropped by a jab. Moments later, McGhee dropped him again, and this time chased him to the canvas, where he finished him with ground and pound right before round one concluded.

That's now two in a row for McGhee, who will hopefully get a ranked bantamweight in his next fight. He's now 12-2.

Romero, who is a former champ in LA-based promotion UNF, obviously wanted a different result, but gave a good account of himself against an elite opponent. It'll be interesting to see how he looks with a full training camp, against a more suitable level of opposition. He'll return to the drawing board with a record of 7-3.

Up next, we head to the featherweight division, where Marcus McGhee (11-2) will take on Anthony Romero (7-2) in a clash between two guys who normally fight at bantamweight.

McGhee, who recently went the distance with bantamweight champ Petr Yan, was originally set to fight Benardo Sopaj in what was already a bit of a weird matchup for a guy as well established as he is. When Sopaj suffered an injury, however, he was matched up Romero, who will make his UFC debut on short notice (hence the fight being contested at featherweight).

McGhee will look to spoil his opponent's debut and build on the momentum of a win over John Yannis back in June. His longer term goal, of course, is to work his way back to fights with guys like Yan.

Let's get to it.

Lucas Armand was simply no match for Anthony Wint.

Wint, who is now 9-0, was aggressive from the opening bell, charging across the cage and swarming his opponent with a frenetic assault of punches. Armand attempted to throw a few back, but was crumpling to the canvas in a matter of seconds.

That's 2-0 in the UFC for Wint. Armand, who tastes defeat for the first time will have to wait for his first UFC win.

Anthony Wint (8-0) is one of the most promising newcomers in the UFC heavyweight division. In our next undercard fight, the Contender Series grad will look for a second Octagon win after a first-round submission over Terrance Chatman in his August UFC debut. 

His opponent will be Lucas Armand (6-0), who will be making his UFC debut, and will be looking to give Wint the Gable Steveson treatment despite being a huge underdog. 

Welcome to the heavyweight division, Johnny Walker!

The former light heavyweight contender just made an incredible debut in the division, knocking Mick Parkin out cold with a knee to the dome in the clinch.

It's hard to imagine him making any more of a statement. It was absolutely violent—and just the kind of performance he was known for during his best days as a light heavyweight.

He's now 23-10, and back in the win column after a terrible decision loss to Dominick Reyes last time out. More importantly, he has a whole roster of new challenges to look forward to.

In defeat, Parkin is now 10-2, and winless in his last two fights. This was the first stoppage loss on his record.

After 16 fights in the UFC light heavyweight division, many of them against top contenders and future champions, Johnny Walker (22-10) is set for his heavyweight debut.

He'll make that debut in our next fight, as he takes on England's Mick Parkin (10-1).

For Walker, it will be an opportunity to rebound from a totally forgettable split decision loss to Dominick Reyes, and reinvent himself in a new division after some tough losses in recent years.

For Parkin, it will be an chance to rebound from a decision loss to top-15 mainstay Marcin Tybura and continue his march toward the rankings.

This one could be over quick. Let's get to it.

Jacobe Smith is still undefeated!

The surging welterweight prospect improved to 13-0 in Salt Lake City, knocking out Bruce Whitehead with ground and pound early in the first round of their undercard fight. That's now four Octagon victories for him, and all of them have been finishes. The future is bright, to say the least.

Whitehead, who took this fight on short notice, and had to endure a low-blow for the ages before getting finished, will have to wait for his first UFC win. He's now 8-3 overall.

Seconds into Jacobe Smith and Bruce Whitehead's welterweight fight, the latter absorbed an absolutely terrible low-blow that had him writhing and flopping on the ground like a fish on land.

Thankfully, and quite miraculously, he was able to continue!

Next up, we head to the welterweight division, where red-hot prospect Jacobe Smith (12-0) will look to live up to his status as a massive favorite opposite Bruce Whitehead (8-2). 

Smith, a Contender Series product, has won three straight fights in the UFC—two via strikes and one by submission. Whitehead will be making his UFC debut on very short notice after back-to-back wins in the Fury FC cage. His last was only two weeks ago.

Rafael dos Anjos got off to a great start in his lightweight fight with Alexander Hernandez, to the point that Joe Rogan was claiming he looked like he was once again in championship form.

Hernandez, however, gradually gained control of the fight, and stopped his decorated opponent with a volley of punches in round two.

That's four losses in a row for dos Anjos, who took his gloves in the cage, which typically signals retirement. He's now (32-18).

In victory, Hernandez rebounds from a decision loss to Rafa Garcia. He's now won five of his last six. His record sits at 19-9.

There has been quite a bit of criticism of this card, but former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos is set to compete in the third fight of the undercard, which is a good reminder that it's really not so bad overall. 

Dos Anjos (32-7), who won the belt with a defeat of Anthony Pettis on 2015, will take on another very experienced fighter in Anthony Hernandez (18-9). He'll be looking to rebound from three straight losses, having most recently suffered a leg injury early in a welterweight fight with Geoff Neal. 

Hernandez, a sizeable favorite, will be looking to rebound from a decision loss to Rafa Garcia. That was preceded by four straight wins over pretty solid opposition. 

Marvin Vettori has still never been finished, and actually put forth a half-decent effort against Ismail Naurdiev in Salt Lake City, but ultimately lost a unanimous decision in their middleweight fight.

That's the former title challenger's fifth straight loss, and they've all been decisions, which is really an indicator that he's starting to decline, even if he's still seemingly made of steel.

Naurdiev (26-8), who effectively won the fight on the feet, has now won twice in a row after a knockout of Ryan Loder almost a year ago.

Italy's Marvin Vettori (19-9-1) was once one of the top middleweights in the sport, and even challenged Israel Adesanya for the division's title. As of today, however, he is riding four straight decision losses, most recently at the hands of Brunno Ferreira.

He'll now look to get back on track opposite Morocco's Ismail Naurdiev (25-8), who will attempt to build on the momentum of a knockout win over Ryan Loder.

It's do or die for Vettori, and a huge opportunity for Naurdiev. Let's see how it goes.

"Last round, last fight. Give it everything."

Those were the words McGee's coach told him between the second and third rounds of his retirement fight in Salt Lake City. The veteran certainly put forth a gusty effort, but unfortunately he ultimately had his swan song spoiled by Eric Nolan.

It was a right hand that sealed the deal.

That marks Nolan's first win in the UFC after coming up short in his first two fights. He's now 9-5 overall.

McGee, 41, retires with an overall record of 22-15. While he was never really a contender, he spent years battling some of the best welterweights of his generation. Hats off to him.

UFC 332 is officially live from Salt Lake City.

We'll get things started in the welterweight division, where former TUF standout Court McGee will look to retire on a win at the expense of Eric Nolan.

McGee (22-14) will be looking to rebound from a loss to Michael Chiesa over a year ago. Nolan (8-5) is winless in his first two UFC fights, but is an appreciable favorite to win.

They're both in the cage, and Bruce Buffer is doing his thing. Let's get to it.

The UFC 332 undercard will kick off in about 10 minutes. The main card will follow at 8:00pm ET.

Here's what's on deck for the evening!