*Natália Silva catches Jéssica Andrade with a brutal spinning kick to the head. Credit: Zuffa LLC.*

The UFC heads to the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, for an exciting card. The card features plenty of excellent matchups, with top prospects, vicious finishers, and established veterans looking to score a highlight-reel victory this Saturday. In the co-main event, former Flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo clashes with rising knockout artist Payton Talbott. In the main event, two outstanding strikers collide for the vacant women’s Flyweight title when speedy striker Natália Silva takes on powerful kickboxer Wang Cong. Let’s take a look at the fights on the main card.

Ateba Gautier vs. Roman Kopylov

*Ateba Gautier lands a thudding uppercut on Ozzy Diaz. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Middleweight Bout

Ateba Gautier: 11-1-0, 9 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.

Roman Kopylov: 15-5-0, 12 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.

Gautier is on a ten-fight win streak and holds UFC victories over Robert Valentin (13-6-0), Andrey Pulyaev (10-5-0), and Ozzy Diaz (10-5-0). He’s a power-punching knockout artist capable of a highlight-reel finish at any time. He’s always coming forward but won’t push a heavy pace, instead picking his shots and throwing everything with massive power. Gautier is very explosive and will regularly shift from slowly pressuring to blitzing forward, punching his way into the pocket with huge hooks and uppercuts. Training at Manchester Top Team, he won’t typically initiate grappling exchanges but has a background in Sambo and excellent takedown defense. His offense is his defense, as relentless pressure and a constant knockout threat allow him to slow down his opponents and avoid significant damage. Gautier has scored at least one knockdown in all of his UFC fights and is especially dangerous early on, with seven of his nine knockouts coming in the first round.

*Roman Kopylov cracks Josh Fremd with a stiff right hand. Credit: MMA Junkie.*

Kopylov has won three of his last five fights and has UFC wins over Chris Curtis (32-13-0), Marco Tulio (14-3-0), and Punahele Soriano (13-5-0). He’s a sniper on his feet, using precision and power to dismantle opponents. He manages distance well and fights behind his jab, constantly pumping it out and tagging opponents when they enter the pocket. Kopylov excels at varying his shots, consistently damaging opponents’ legs, body, and head without telegraphing or loading up. He’s highly durable and has never been knocked out, always willing to eat a shot to land one and exchange on the inside. Training with Raty Team, he occasionally mixes takedowns into his striking offense and lands devastating ground-and-pound from the top position. Kopylov carries his power and speed throughout the fight and has secured all of his UFC finishes in the second or third round.

Roberto Soldić vs. Khaos Williams

*Roberto Soldić lands a heavy kick to the body of Dricus Du Plessis. Credit: KSW.*

Welterweight Bout

Roberto Soldić: 21-4-0, 18 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.

Khaos Williams: 16-5-0, 9 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.

Soldić has won three of his last five bouts, with one no contest, and is making his UFC debut. He’s a former KSW Welterweight and Middleweight champion and a dangerous striker with devastating knockout power. He will relentlessly pressure his opponents, constantly looking to set up his left hand. Soldić favors power over volume but does serious damage with every shot, regularly varying his targets and mixing heavy body shots and kicks into his combinations. He won’t typically pursue takedowns, but he has a background in Judo and solid takedown defense. He is always hunting a knockout and has excellent footwork, regularly leading his opponents directly into power shots. Soldić rarely sees the judges’ scorecards and has gone to just one decision in his last fifteen fights.

*Khaos Williams blasts Nikolay Veretennikov with a powerful overhand right. Credit: MMA Junkie.*

Williams has won three of his last five outings and owns UFC victories over Alex Morono (24-13-0), Carlston Harris (19-8-0), and Nikolay Veretennikov (14-8-0). He’s an aggressive scrapper who’s always coming forward, looking for a knockout. He throws every shot with serious power and regularly charges forward with long, lunging straights and hooks. Training at Murcielago MMA, Williams is explosive and can get wild, unloading huge five- or six-punch combinations of wide, looping punches. He rarely looks to grapple but has solid takedown defense and is strong in the clinch. He varies his attacks well and regularly mixes heavy body shots into his combinations. Williams is most dangerous early and has scored eight of his ten finish wins in the first round.

King Green vs. Esteban Ribovics

*King Green stuns Grant Dawson with a cracking left hand. Credit: MMA Junkie.*

Lightweight Bout

King Green: 36-17-1, 13 KO/TKO, 10 Sub.

Esteban Ribovics: 16-3-0, 8 KO/TKO, 5 Sub.

Green has won four of his last five fights and has UFC victories over #14-ranked Lightweight Grant Dawson (24-3-1), Terrance McKinney (18-9-0), and Jim Miller (39-19-0). He is an excellent boxer who picks his opponents apart with quick, heavy hands. He’s rarely in a boring fight, always willing to go to the center of the octagon and exchange blows. Green fights with his hands low, remaining unpredictable and never telegraphing his strikes. He fights behind his jab, keeping his strikes sharp and straight while constantly attacking from different angles and varying his targets. Training at Pinnacle MMA, he’s a solid wrestler and averages more than one takedown per fifteen minutes, but he generally prefers to keep the fight standing. Green has been fighting professionally since 2008 and has earned various UFC Lightweight records, including the most significant strikes landed (2050) and the most total strikes landed (2312) all-time.

*Esteban Ribovics lands a vicious left hook on the chin of Elves Brener. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Ribovics has won three of his last five bouts and holds UFC wins over Edson Barboza (24-15-0), Terrance McKinney (18-9-0), and Elves Brener (17-6-0). He’s a relentless striker who pushes a heavy pace from bell to bell. He comes out guns blazing, immediately pressuring his opponent and firing heavy combinations, rarely taking a backward step. Ribovics has fluid striking, never telegraphing his strikes and constantly varying his targets without getting sloppy. He is an excellent counterstriker with solid head movement, regularly slipping shots and returning with devastating hooks. Training at Kill Cliff FC, he typically doesn’t initiate grappling exchanges, but he has heavy ground-and-pound and strong submission skills, particularly shoulder locks. Ribovics has great cardio and is highly durable, remaining dangerous throughout and always capable of producing a finish.

#11 Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Payton Talbott

*Deiveson Figueiredo rips a powerful shot to the body of Rob Font. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Bantamweight Bout

Deiveson Figueiredo: 25-7-1, 9 KO/TKO, 9 Sub.

Payton Talbott: 11-1-0, 7 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.

Figueiredo has won one of his last five outings and owns UFC victories over #9-ranked Flyweight Brandon Moreno (24-10-2), #12-ranked Bantamweight Montel Jackson (16-4-0), and #14-ranked Bantamweight Marlon Vera (24-12-1). He’s a versatile fighter with vicious knockout power and excellent grappling. He’s patient on his feet, picking his shots and looking for openings while regularly mixing in kicks and body shots. Training with Team Figueiredo, he favors power over volume and often charges forward, dipping his head to unload overhands. He has excellent takedowns from the clinch and in open space, and he immediately assumes a dominant position on the mat. He has heavy top pressure and lethal chokes, which he constantly looks to secure. Figueiredo is a former Flyweight champion and holds various records in the 125-pound division, including the second most finishes (7), the most knockdowns (11), and the most submission attempts (20).

*Payton Talbott stuns Henry Cejudo with a thudding right hook. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Talbott has won four of his last five fights and has UFC wins over Henry Cejudo (16-6-0), Felipe Lima (15-2-0), and Cameron Saaiman (9-3-0). He’s an elusive, slick striker with serious punching power. He’s a lengthy fighter for the division and uses his reach well, constantly firing long punches and kicks and keeping his opponent on the end of his strikes. Talbott has outstanding footwork and distance management, always cutting off his opponent and controlling the center of the cage. He fights behind his jab and remains technical throughout, keeping his shots straight and sharp without getting sloppy or overextending himself. Training at the Reno Academy of Combat, he usually doesn’t pursue takedowns but is dangerous in top position and will immediately look to posture up and land heavy ground-and-pound. Talbott, though young in his UFC career, has already earned two Performance of the Night bonuses and the third-fastest knockout in Bantamweight history (0:19).

#1 Natália Silva vs. #6 Wang Cong

*Natália Silva fires a heavy kick to the head of Alexa Grasso. Credit: MMA Junkie.*

Women’s Flyweight Title Bout

Natália Silva: 20-5-1, 5 KO/TKO, 7 Sub.

Wang Cong: 10-1-0, 2 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.

Silva is on a fourteen-fight win streak and has UFC victories over #2-ranked Flyweight Alexa Grasso (18-5-1), #7-ranked Flyweight Jasmine Jasudavicius (15-4-0), and #8-ranked Flyweight Rose Namajunas (15-8-0). She is an outstanding kickboxer with lightning-fast kicks and excellent footwork. She’s constantly feinting with her hips and switching stances, keeping her opponents guessing and on the back foot. Silva is extremely explosive and never telegraphs her attacks, often starting and ending her combinations with vicious kicks. Training with Team Borracha, she has fantastic distance management and excels at staying elusive while catching her opponents as they enter her range. She’s willing to grapple but is most comfortable on her feet and holds the highest takedown defense percentage in women’s Flyweight history at 90%. Silva has faced exclusively top-level competition since joining the UFC and holds wins over three former UFC women’s champions.

*Wang Cong tags Tracy Cortez with a stiff jab. Credit: MMA Junkie.*

Cong has won four of her last five bouts and owns UFC wins over #10-ranked Flyweight Tracy Cortez (12-4-0), Eduarda Moura (12-3-0), and Ariane Lipski da Silva (18-12-0). She’s a powerful, precise striker with outstanding kickboxing. She’s exceptionally accurate and favors power over volume, throwing with decent output but often firing single shots and naked kicks. Cong will remain technical throughout, staying patient and carefully picking her shots. Training with Team Alpha Male, she will stay unpredictable, constantly varying her targets, and consistently lands vicious leg kicks throughout. She’s most comfortable on her feet and won’t typically bring the fight to the mat, but she’s strong in the clinch and has great takedown defense. Cong has already earned multiple UFC women’s Flyweight records in her brief tenure, holding the highest significant strike accuracy (58%) and the highest striking differential, landing, on average, nearly 5 more strikes than she absorbs per minute.

Best Bets

Roberto Soldić by KO/TKO: This is an exciting matchup of two dangerous knockout artists. Although Soldić is making his debut, he’s faced plenty of high-level competition outside the UFC and I believe he will have an advantage in both technical skill and punching power. Williams is a constant knockout threat but tends to load up on his strikes and doesn’t have the best footwork, often charging wildly into the pocket to throw big combinations. Soldić is by no means a cautious, overly technical fighter, but he has outstanding footwork and picks his shots well, and I believe his style counters Williams’ excellently. Williams has proved very hittable and is always willing to hang inside the pocket, and considering Soldić only needs to land one clean shot to end a fight, Williams’ brawling tendencies are only to his detriment. I expect this fight to get off to a quick start, with both fighters coming out guns blazing and letting their hands go from the opening bell. As the fight continues and they exchange on the feet, I expect Soldić to get the better of Williams and eventually find the right shot to put Williams out and earn Soldić his first UFC victory.

Green vs. Ribovics Under 1.5 Rounds: This is a fantastic fight between two exciting strikers. Both are known for pushing a heavy pace from the opening bell, and I expect more of the same in this bout. Of their combined 73 fights, they have produced 36 finish victories, with 20 of those finishes coming in the first round. Overall, they have had a combined 27 fights not leave the first round, and 46 of the 73 total fights did not go the distance. Beyond statistics, both are coming off impressive knockout wins and will be looking to carry that momentum forward, so I expect both to be hunting for a finish from the opening bell. Ribovics also missed weight and may not have his usual cardio, making a high pace early on even more likely for both, with Ribovics looking to score a quick finish and Green looking to wear down his cardio. Ultimately, I expect a very entertaining fight with plenty of wild exchanges, and I’m confident this fight will end within the first round and a half.

Natália Silva Moneyline: This is an intriguing matchup between two skilled technical strikers. Despite any controversy surrounding this main event, it is a very close matchup, but I believe Silva’s speed, pace, and volume will be the difference-maker. Cong has a clear power advantage and great technical ability, but she tends to throw single strikes and fight overly patiently, not capitalizing on opportunities when her opponents are hurt. Silva is exceptionally fast, throws everything in combination, and always pushes the pace, the exact opposite of Cong's style and unlike any other UFC opponent Cong has faced. Cong has also largely faced grapplers during her promotional tenure, allowing her to dictate the range and pace of the striking, an option she will not have against an equally dangerous striker in Silva, who will not allow Cong to use her slower, careful style. I expect Silva to pressure Cong from the opening bell, constantly doing damage and wearing down Cong’s cardio with non-stop action. As the fight continues and Cong slows, I expect Cong to rely on her power and start swinging for the fences, letting Silva take full control, avoiding Cong’s power shots and lighting her up with clean, quick strikes en route to a championship victory for Silva.

UFC 332 Preview