UFC 332: Soldić Rallies to Win

Roberto Soldić was knocked down twice in his UFC debut against Khaos Williams — and still won a clear decision. At UFC 332 in Salt Lake City, the final two rounds turned the welterweight fight around. All three judges scored it for Soldić, 29-28, 29-27 and 29-27. In the main event, Natalia Silva claimed the vacant UFC women's flyweight title.

Soldić survives two knockdowns

Williams started faster and dropped Soldić twice in the opening round. The former two-division KSW champion got back to his feet quickly both times but struggled to settle into his striking. Late in the round, he looked for a takedown rather than continue trading at range.

From the second round on, Soldić landed more cleanly to the head and body. Williams slowed, while Soldić built pressure with punches and worked from top position on the ground. His left hand continued to land in the third; he later took Williams down again and briefly controlled his back. The expected knockout never came, but after that difficult opening, Soldić earned the decision.

The debut showed more than Soldić's punching power. Williams forced him to adjust early, and Soldić turned the fight with both striking and ground control. We covered his route through KSW and ONE and the matchup beforehand. He now has his first UFC result: a win over an experienced opponent who put him in real trouble.

Silva claims the vacant belt

Natalia Silva beat Wang Cong by unanimous decision after five rounds (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) to become the new UFC women's flyweight champion. The belt was vacant after Valentina Shevchenko relinquished it because of injury. CS.C covered the title-fight context before the event; Silva has now taken the opportunity.

Talbott and Naurdiev make their marks

In the co-main event, Payton Talbott stopped former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo with strikes 2:09 into the first round — the biggest-name win of Talbott's bantamweight career so far. Esteban Ribovics also finished King Green in round one, while Roman Kopylov stopped highly regarded Ateba Gautier at 3:12 of the opening round.

The Austrian MMA scene also had a significant result: Ismail Naurdiev defeated former title challenger Marvin Vettori by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring it 29-28. It was Vettori's fifth straight defeat. Johnny Walker won his heavyweight debut against Mick Parkin by first-round knockout with a knee.