UFC president Dana White pushed back on criticism of UFC 332 after a night in Salt Lake City where several rising fighters delivered decisive finishes. The event, headlined by Natalia Silva’s win over Wang Cong, faced skepticism for its main event but earned praise for the performances across the undercard.
White addressed doubts about the card at the UFC 332 post-fight press conference, dismissing the critiques from some former experts in the sport. “If you really had to dig deep and scrutinize our cards, there’s probably been four or five in 25 years that you go, ‘that sucked!’” White said. He singled out UFC 33 as a rare disaster but insisted UFC 332 was far from that. “One of the bigger problems is, and we face this going into certain cards, the so-called experts in the sport don’t know anything about fighting,” he added.
The main event between Silva and Wang struggled to electrify the crowd, with Silva outpointing Wang and many seats empty before the decision was announced. Silva had only recently defeated Rose Namajunas and Wang came off a quiet win over Tracy Cortez, making their fight feel like an odd choice to close a numbered UFC pay-per-view card. The absence of women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko, who was not on the card, left a void at the top that few on the night’s card could fill.
However, the rest of the card produced memorable moments, particularly from a group of up-and-coming fighters who made a statement. Payton Talbott, Roberto Soldic, Ateba Gautier, Damian Pinas, Anthony Wint, and Jacobe Smith all impressed, with four of them scoring first-round finishes. Talbott’s performance stood out in the co-main event as he stopped former champion Deiveson Figueiredo in the first round before calling out Sean O’Malley.
Roberto Soldic, a ONE Championship crossover, took 15 minutes to finish his opponent Khaos but did so in convincing fashion, making a strong UFC debut. Meanwhile, Gautier was stopped early, a setback White acknowledged without hesitation.
The high knockout count, with 11 KOs on the night, drew some comparisons to regional MMA circuits and Dana White’s Contender Series, where mismatches are common. Some critics felt the card lacked stakes, pointing out that wins for Soldic and Smith were more about making an impression than climbing immediate title ladders.
White acknowledged that not every UFC event will be a must-watch for every fan. “We do like 44 cards a year, right? Forty-four fights a year, then we have Contender Series and all the other things that we do. So, not every card is going to be for you. Not every card is going to go, ‘Oh wow, this is the one, I have to see it.’ Who gives a s***. There’ll be 43 more that you might feel that way, or 42, or 40. We are the best at what we do. There’s no denying it. It is what it is.”
Despite the lukewarm reaction to the main event, the overall effect of UFC 332 was to introduce new fighters with star quality and leave the door open for future matchups. Talbott’s callout of Sean O’Malley highlighted how the evening could reshape some fighters’ trajectories.
White’s blunt dismissal of critics came with a final remark: “We’re the best at what we do. And all the so-called experts have no f***ing clue about the fight business.” The event underscored a transitional period for the UFC as it adapts to a post-pay-per-view era and leans on emerging talent to keep fans engaged.
According to Yahoo Sports.
