Former UFC heavyweight fighter Brendan Schaub trashed the upcoming UFC 332 main event between Natalia Silva and Wang Cong.
With Valentina Shevchenko out for one year due to injury, she was forced to vacate the UFC women’s flyweight title, so Silva and Wang will now fight for the undisputed strap in the UFC 332 headliner.
It’s a fun fight on paper between two women who prefer to stand and trade, but it’s the kind of fight that is usually a co-main event on a numbered card, not a main event.
For that, Schaub said he was surprised that the UFC booked this fight as the UFC 332 headliner.
Brendan Schaub Trashes UFC 332 Main Event
Speaking on “The Big Brown Beatdown,” Schaub made it clear he does not believe Silva vs. Wang is a suitable UFC main event fight for a numbered card
“It’s like UFC got the ball to the one-yard line and then said, ‘(expltive) it,’ and gave up. Everything was lining up for this to be a banger card. The undercard is fantastic, but then they gave us this. In hindsight, no more PPV for us in America is great, but this is the byproduct. They already have our money and don’t have to sell us on the card. This is the downside,” Schaub said (via MMA Mania).
“I just want to know who was like, ‘I’ve got it! Natalia Silva vs. Wang Cong!’ Did everyone in that room say, ‘That’s sick!’? Because if they did, you should all be out of a job. It is so disheartening that this is the main event, and UFC is like, ‘You ain’t gonna do (expletive).’ There should be some sort of repercussion for this. If I’m Utah, I wouldn’t have paid for this. This is hands down — and I’m not exaggerating — the worst main event in MMA history. Wang Cong should never be headlining a card and shouldn’t be fighting for a title.”
UFC 332 Betting Odds
Right now, the UFC 332 betting odds have Silva listed as a -210 favorite, with Wang a +180 underdog.
Silva opened at -250, so the early money has been coming in on the dog Wang, whom some bettors think has a chance to get the win here, as evidenced by the early money coming in on her.
Given that both women are primarily strikers, this fight will give both women the chance to land the knockout, though given they both often go the distance, it feels more likely that this fight is going to go the full five rounds.
Depending on when Schevchenko is ready to fight again, she could get an immediate title shot in her return to the Octagon. But the smart money is on the UFC giving the next title shot at 125 lbs to the winner of the upcoming Noche UFC fight between Manon Fiorot and former champ Alexa Grasso.
We’ll see how this UFC 332 main event ultimately plays out, but right now, quite a few fans are holding a similar opinion to this headlining fight as Schaub.
Brendan Schaub Trashes UFC 332 Main Event