UFC 332 fight card predictions: Expert picks, odds for Natalia Silva vs. Wang Cong in Salt Lake City

The vacant women's featherweight championship is on the line this Saturday in Salt Lake City when Natalia Silva and Wang Cong meet in the UFC 332 main event.

>The title is up for grabs as a result of Valentina Shevchenko suffering an injury to her back and shoulder that will sideline her for at least a year. With the division's longtime best on the sidelines, the opportunity has opened up for Silva or Cong to make their mark in the history books by becoming UFC champion.

>A man with plenty of championship experience will be in the co-main event, with two-time former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo battling rising star Payton Talbott. Talbott is looking for his second consecutive victory after defeating former two-division champion Henry Cejudo in his most recent outing.

>The card also features a some of UFC's top rising prospects looking to take the next step in their development. Esteban Ribovics looks to build off his quick TKO of Edson Barboza in August when he faces another longtime veteran in King Green, who will make his 31st walk to the Octagon on Saturday while riding a four-fight win streak. Plus, former two-division KSW champion Roberto Soldic makes his promotional debut when he faces Khaos Williams in a fight sure to deliver on action. And 24-year-old Ateba Gautier gets his toughest test to date against the durable Roman Kopylov at middleweight to open the main card.

>You can watch UFC 332 live on CBS this Saturday beginning at 8 p.m. ET. The action is also available on Paramount+ -- along with every other UFC numbered event and UFC Fight Night included with your subscription! Plans start as low as $8.99/month or $89.99/year!

>With so much happening on Saturday night, let's look more closely at the full fight card with the latest odds before we get to our staff predictions and picks for the main card that you can consider before hitting the sportsbooks.

>Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook (Odds as of Oct. 2)

>With such a massive main event on tap, the crew at CBS Sports went ahead with predictions and picks for the main card from Brian Campbell, Brent Brookhouse, Shakiel Mahjouri and Brandon Wise.

>Campbell: In this matchup between skilled kickboxers, pairing Silva's high-volume, varied offensive attack against Cong's counterstriking will make the differences between the two fighters subtle. Yet, the speedy footwork of Silva, mixed with her distinct advantage in terms of elite experience, should be enough of an edge to get the job done over 25 minutes. Silva has won all eight of her UFC bouts, including three straight wins over former champions. She has also won 14 consecutive fights overall and is riding a mountain of momentum.

>Brookhouse: This is a very competitive fight on paper. Cong is a big volume striker with solid power for the division. Silva is also a fighter with a striking-first mentality, but Silva is much more adept at applying defensive techniques to the striking game. The question is whether Silva can slow Cong enough while doing enough offensively to take rounds, or if Cong can use pressure and volume to win those rounds instead. I don't see a stoppage coming for either woman, and I'm going to trust in Silva's more impressive resume against elite competition and ability to make adjustments to win her enough rounds to edge the fight out on the scorecards.

>Mahjouri: Silva was always supposed to be here. The UFC was reportedly working towards a fight between her and Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 332. Cong got the call after Shevchenko vacated the title due to injury. That means Silva has been preparing for a fight much longer than her opponent has. Beyond that, Silva has more elite experience, having defeated former UFC champions in her last three fights. The fight could be very competitive on the feet, but I believe Silva has the better MMA striking. Cong claims to have power, but we haven't seen it materialize. The final nail in the coffin for the unlikely title challenger is the weight cut. Cong has admitted in the past that her increased musculature has made cutting weight more challenging. Against Silva, she must make championship weight on relatively short notice. Silva should run away with this as she figures out the timing and Cong's stamina wanes. Silva by unanimous decision.

>Campbell: The 38-year-old Figuereido, a former two-time flyweight champion, still brings the presence of one-punch power into this matchup but not a ton more. Figueiredo, who turns 39 in December, has lost four of his last five bouts dating back to 2024 and is coming off of consecutive fights this calendar year in which he missed weight in the first and was finished inside of two rounds just four months ago. This co-headliner should provide the perfect platform for the 28-year-old Talbott to catapult himself into the top 15 at 135 pounds and announce himself as a legitimate threat.

>Brookhouse: Figueiredo was a great fighter in the late 2010s and early 2020s, dominating the featherweight ranks at his peak. He's now a nearly 39-year-old bantamweight who has struggled with weight cuts and with the size of modern 135-pounders. Talbott is five inches taller and is big for the division. He proved his offensive wrestling to be a legitimate weapon in taking down Henry Cejudo and grinding his way to victory. It's hard to see a path to victory for Figueiredo here, but he's still tough as nails and should be able to fight his way to the cards, even in a losing effort.

>Mahjouri: This is a classic case of two fighters trending in different directions. Figueiredo was on the verge of declining when he moved up to the bantamweight division. The easier weight cuts have improved his longevity but cut into his ferocious flyweight punching power. He's too small and, more recently, too old to compete with the bantamweight elite. Talbott is a work in progress, but he has many natural advantages. He's significantly taller, 10 years younger and wields superior striking. Most crucially, he's steadily improving. He took down Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo three times before retiring him. Talbott is entering his athletic prime. Figueredo is trending the other way. Figgy is crafty and durable enough to go the distance, but expect him to look worse as the fight progresses.

>Who wins Silva vs. Wang, and how exactly does the fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks and analysis from the incomparable expert who is up over $21,000 on his UFC picks since May 2018, and find out.