Wang Cong Reveals Eye Poke Led to Slow Start Against Natalia Silva
Wang Cong reveals an eye poke affected her start against Natalia Silva before her UFC 332 title fight loss.
Wang Cong took to Instagram to reveal that an early eye poke impaired her performance during her first UFC title fight against Natalia Silva. The Chinese contender believes that the unfortunate incident disrupted her vision, contributing to a slow start, which ultimatly proved extremely costly in her unanimous decision loss at UFC 332.
Wang Cong Says Eye Poke Disrupted Her Start
Cong challenged Silva for the vacant UFC women's flyweight title at the main event of UFC 332 on Saturday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Although Silva controlled most of the early action, Cong had a strong comeback in the fifth round. However, it was not enough to dethrone Silva as the new women's flyweight champion, as the judges ruled the fight in the latter's favor with scores of 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46.
Unfortunately, Cong's comeback came too late.
The defeat marked Cong's end to a four-fight winning streak and the first UFC title fight loss escape of her fighting career. In her post-fight statement, Cong revealed that she had sustained an eye poke to her right eye and was unable to see clearly during the first round.
“Thank you for supporting, my friends,” Cong said on Instagram. “The game is lost. What a pity. I have some regrets then because of the first , the eye was poked in the second half. The line of sight is blocked, and then I couldn’t see it when I was poked in the right eye in the first .”
Cong added that it took her too long to settle into the contest after the incident, saying, “Wait until later to slow down; it’s too slow to enter.”
Cong Vows to Learn From UFC 332 Setback
The eye issue was especially crucial since Cong struggled to find her rhythm in the opening stages, allowing Silva to gain the lead. The latter managed to keep strong despite Cong increasing her output and pushing Silva hard in the championship rounds. However, she could not completely overcome the deficit.
Nevertheless, Cong did not dwell on the setback. Instead, she ended her message by promising to use the defeat as a motivating factor for the next match.
“Where to fall, get up, go back, and summarize yourself. Come on, try again.”
In addition, Cong showed the affected right eye in a follow-up Instagram video, with reports noting a visible scratch.
This loss puts Cong at 10-2 professionally and 5-2 inside the UFC. Although she was unable to capture championship gold, her impressive comeback performance against Silva and the determination to return to the flyweight division will likely help her make a successful rebound.
