The UFC heads to Salt Lake City this weekend for UFC 332, headlined by a women’s flyweight title fight between Natalie Silva and Wang Cong. But the action doesn’t end there, with Payton Talbott, Deiveson Figueiredo, Esteban Ribovics, and King Green all in action. We take a look at my best bets on the UFC 332 card below.
UFC 332 Preview & Betting Tips
Natalia Silva vs Wang Cong
With former flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko forced to vacate the title due to injury, Natalia Silva and Wang Cong now meet with UFC gold on the line. Silva was undoubtedly next in line for a shot at UFC gold. She is a perfect 8-0 in the UFC with victories over former champs Rose Namajunas, Alexa Grasso and Jessica Andrade. The Brazilian hasn’t lost since being beaten by UFC veteran Marina Rodriguez way back in 2017.
Her opponent, Wang Cong, 10-1, is an interesting choice by the UFC. It seems more like a play to get a share of the Chinese market, and away from Silva, no one else was really knocking down the door. Wang is from a kickboxing base and has shown her striking quality against below-average foes in the Octagon. She has also shown a serious weakness in grappling, unsurprising for someone with a striking background who entered MMA late.
That being said, this is a main event that likely goes the full 25 minutes, but I would be stunned if Cong is the one who gets her hand raised. While we have seen some wonky decisions lately, Silva’s activity and overall threat in each area of the fight should be more than sufficient to secure a comfortable win against an opponent who has never fought anyone near her level.
Natalia Silva to win
$1.54 (4 Units)
Mick Parkin v Johnny Walker
Johnny Walker is a six-foot-five, incredibly athletic fighter, with no chin or resilience. Yet he is incredibly dangerous striking on the feet in the opening minutes of the fight and has some seriously impressive highlight-reel KOs. But he’s never established himself as a serious threat because he folds under any adversity. Incredibly, he has now made the decision to move up to heavyweight, where he loses his power advantage against a strong Englishman in Mick Parkin.
Parkin comes into this fight off a loss to journeyman Marcin Tybura, which is hardly screaming back me in my next fight. But he is well-rounded, can lean on his wrestling if needed and has serious power in his punches and kicks.
Walker’s gas tank is unlikely to be better at a higher weight, and with his glass jaw, he looks there for the taking. I am stunned Parkin is now an underdog after opening up as the favourite, and will be backing him to handle the Brazilian this weekend.
Mick Parkin to win
$2.20 (3.5 Units)
Bobby Green vs. Estaban Ribovics
Bobby Green comes into this fight off a first-round KO of Terrance McKinney in July. It was yet another highly entertaining bout which could have gone either way at different points in the fight. At 40, Green is hardly a legit contender but is a great measuring stick for where fighters at lightweight are.
The next opponent he tests is Estaban Ribovics, who last fought in August, stopping Edson Barboza. That win means nothing at this point in the Brazilian’s career. And I think the market is putting too much weight into that domination. Ribovics averages an insane 7.43 significant strikes per minute, while absorbing 5.74. He is a one-dimensional brawler who will happily trade with Green. But without any real wrestling threat, that is a dangerous game against a crafty veteran.
Green’s movement and angles should give him problems if he just hunts for the big punch, so at more than 3-1, I am happy to be on the side of Green, who should win the minutes battle here.
King Green to win
$3.30 (2 Units)
