UFC 332 Predictions & Picks: Silva vs Wang
UFC 332: Silva vs Wang takes place Saturday, October 3 at Delta Center, Salt Lake City United States, headlined by Natalia Silva vs. Wang Cong. The main card also features Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Payton Talbott and King Green vs. Esteban Ribovics.
Who do our experts like to get their hands raised at UFC 332?
UFC 332 Main Event: Natalia Silva vs. Wang Cong
HayJive – Wang Cong
- “I’ll take Cong Wang in the main event. Natalia Silva is an excellent striker, but she hasn’t consistently separated herself from higher-level competition, and I think the betting line is inflated. Wang is a very good striker herself, and if this turns into the mostly striking matchup I expect, it should be competitive. That’s the type of fight Wang wants, and I think she has a legitimate chance to pull off the upset.”
Nolan – Natalia Silva
- “Natalia Silva.
Silva’s striking is so hard to figure out for he opponents and I think Wang will get a little too aggressive and Silva will make her pay with kicks and damage. Could be a close fight but I like the style of Silva more here.”
The Fight Analyst – Natalia Silva
- “The speed and diverse striking abilities of Natalia Silva will be too much for Wang Cong in this spot. Also, Silva does a great job conserving her energy which comes into play here at elevation in Salt Lake City.”
JJ (The Octagon King) – Natalia Silva
- “I think she’s going to manage range exceptionally well, which will be the primary difference maker in this fight. Nice”
Austin Swaim – Wang Cong
- “I’d just expect the unexpected in this flyweight title fight where both women have gotten to fight exactly how they wanted to for several appearances in a row now. I think Wang Cong’s submission defense and Natalia Silva’s durability are two questions left somewhat unanswered, and Cong’s superior SSR (+4.09) is undoubtedly going to test the latter.”
UFC 332 Co-Main Event: Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Payton Talbott
HayJive – Payton Talbott
- “I’ll take Payton Talbott in the co-main event. He’ll have advantages in size, pace, and pressure, and his grappling continues to improve. Deiveson Figueiredo has looked worse with each recent appearance, and I think Talbott’s youth and physical advantages will be too much for him at this stage.”
Nolan – Deiveson Figueiredo
- “Payton Talbott.
Payton is too big, athletic, and powerful for figgy and this age. Talbott is one big performance away over another former champ and the title shot will be his. A finish makes him undeniable.”
The Fight Analyst – Payton Talbott
- “Payton Talbott is just the new contender at 135 pounds. The UFC are giving him an aged former champion in Deiveson Figueiredo that he can get a statement win against as he goes in there and sparks Figgy in this co-main event slot.”
JJ (The Octagon King) – Payton Talbott
- “Figueiredo has not looked as durable recently, proving that he’s much more vulnerable to bigger shots and timid on the feet. Nice”
Austin Swaim – Payton Talbott
- “It’s amazing a numbered card co-main event is a squash match, but this is one. Figgy has landed single-digit significant strikes in 3 of his last 4. He’s got nothing left but prayers for submission attempts in this division against larger fighters. Talbott’s length, volume, and takedown defense are probably going to end his night quickly.”
King Green vs. Esteban Ribovics
HayJive – King Green
- “Ribovics missed weight and is making a quick turnaround for his second fight in less than two months, while Green is a veteran who is accustomed to staying this active. Green has the volume, cardio, and wrestling to deal with Ribovics’ pressure, and Ribovics has struggled to consistently separate himself from opponents in competitive fights. At the underdog price, I think Green is very live to use his experience and activity to get the win.”
Nolan – Esteban Ribovics
- “Esteban Ribovics.
Everyone’s taking Bobby online this week, but Esteban throws so much volume that I think he finds the chin at some point.”
The Fight Analyst – Esteban Ribovics
- “Esteban Ribovics is someone that is willing to come and throw down with King Green. Given his youth, speed, and power it’s going to give Green problems eventually Ribovics putting him away this weekend.”
JJ (The Octagon King) – King Green
- “Green could do it again, and it wouldn’t be necessarily super surprising to anyone. Ribovics is explosive but Green can be durable and pairing with Esteban’s defensive issues, it’s a fight for the underdog.”
Austin Swaim – King Green
- “Ribovics-Zellhuber was competitive, and we saw what happened when Green faced the Mexican-born fighter earlier this year. I understand concerns about Green’s chin, but Ribovics’ knockdown rate (0.43%) isn’t high, and King has at least 8 percentage points of striking accuracy and defense over him in a kickboxing match. I think Green takes over this fight if he survives early.”
Roberto Soldić vs. Khaos Williams
HayJive – Khaos Williams
- “I’ll take Khaos Williams. Soldic is dangerous and carries serious knockout power, but making your UFC debut against someone as durable as Williams is a difficult assignment. Khaos has never been knocked out, while Soldic has been stopped before, and both guys are likely to throw with bad intentions. If this becomes a firefight, I trust the UFC veteran and Williams’ durability a little more.”
Nolan – Roberto Soldić
- “Robert Soldic.
Both guys will meet in the middle and throw down, and honestly believe Soldic has more fight ending power here. Between the two, Soldic seems to be more hungry to prove himself on the global stage.”
The Fight Analyst – Roberto Soldić
- “We finally get to see the UFC debut of Roberto Soldic and get ready! His power is going to be on full display when he lays hands on Khaos Williams putting him out early.”
JJ (The Octagon King) – Roberto Soldić
- “Dominating force outside the UFC gets an interesting debut, and I do see him getting this done. Nice”
Austin Swaim – Roberto Soldić
- “Some of Roberto Soldic’s film or highlights, which are basically one in the same, don’t even seem real. Khaos is a much worse fighter than his record, posting a -0.37 SSR with poor striking defense (41%). His wrestling hasn’t been a reliable weapon historically, either. I think it manifests in a Croatian power punch sooner rather than later.”
Ateba Gautier vs. Roman Kopylov
HayJive – Roman Kopylov
- “I’ll take Roman Kopylov as the underdog. This is a significant step up in competition for Gautier, who hasn’t faced much resistance to this point. Kopylov is an experienced southpaw striker with dangerous kicks and a combat sambo background that could also allow him to win minutes from top position. Gautier has struggled with a southpaw before, and I think Kopylov can use his kicks to stay outside of punching range before taking over as the fight progresses.”
Nolan – Roman Kopylov
- “Ateba Gautier.
Ateba should win round 1 at a high clip. And it’s Kopylov who we’ve seen gas in fights. Gautier is getting better each fight as well, where Kopylov is at his ceiling.”
The Fight Analyst – Roman Kopylov
- “The speed and technical striking of Roman Kopylov is going to give Ateba Gautier a ton of fits. With this fight also being on elevation, if this fight hits round 2 Kopylov’s chances of getting the win and a potential finish increase dramatically.”
JJ (The Octagon King) – Ateba Gautier
- “I think this is a bold, but I think it will be a case where we see Gautier find success on the feet, where Kopylov will find himself in a guillotine. Nice”
Austin Swaim – Ateba Gautier
- “I’ve sort of done a 360 on Ateba Gautier. I was skeptical early, but the public is hammering him too harshly for a 15-minute fight with Pulyaev, a talented kickboxer that ran the entire time. Gautier is an extremely technical, patient striker for his build, and I ultimately don’t want to fade UFC’s star prospect with an inconsistent fighter like Kopylov, who got crushed at distance by Paulo Costa and Cesar Almeida.”
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