It’s not on a regular basis an attention-grabbing ladies’s Flyweight prospect come alongside. The division’s Prime 10 has been largely stagnant lately, made up of the identical outdated faces and Strawweights opting to skip out on their diets. The 2 exceptions are Manon Fiorot and Erin Blanchfield, who’re doubtless the following two-in-line for title fights and do symbolize a major problem to Valentina Shevchenko.
By and enormous, it’s an open subject to climb the ranks shortly.
Enter Wang Cong, who had each ingredient followers might hope for in an thrilling new prospect. Firstly, “The Joker” can struggle! An achieved Wushu Sanda practitioner — not not like Strawweight queen Zhang Weili — and former skilled kickboxer, Cong has a depth of ability to her sport and degree of expertise that almost all in her division can not match. She’s additionally bodily highly effective, as evidenced by her brutal debut knockout win, which lasted only a single minute.
Better of all, Cong got here with a prepackaged narrative. She defeated Shevchenko years in the past in kickboxing, and no one has forgotten Alex Pereira’s stand up the ranks to (briefly) dethrone Israel Adesanya. Grasso diversion apart, “Bullet” has been atop the Flyweight pack for a protracted, very long time, and a few dangerous blood with a former foe would promote properly.
As with “Poatan,” UFC understood the task and matched Cong with a striker that Cong was massively favored to defeat. Certainly, the struggle performed out that approach for many of its runtime till Gabriella Fernandes clocked Cong with a giant shot within the second, jumped her again, and completed through strangle.
The query instantly rises: was this a fraud examine? Was this a traditional case of Cong by no means being that good and the overall fanbase being too fast to leap on a hype practice? Is all hope misplaced?!?
I’ve to say, my verdict is a powerful “Not Responsible” to the fraud examine allegations. Cong didn’t look dangerous right here. She put collectively good, efficient offense and confirmed off her highly effective kickboxing. She didn’t surrender any takedowns. When she was submitted, it was extra excusable in that she had already been rocked.
The reality is probably going that Gabrielle Fernandes is healthier than her earlier 1-2 UFC document indicated. These pair of defeats demonstrated a problem with getting held down on the ground, however that’s not Cong’s sport. Fernandes is a former LFA champion — a severe accomplishment — with a jiu-jitsu black belt who is healthier recognized for her placing. She’s uncommon in her skill to hold within the pocket with Cong, take these energy photographs, and reply along with her personal offense.
Not many Flyweights are going to have the ability to replicate that technique.
In the long run, Cong can nonetheless climb the ranks. She nonetheless has standout bodily presents and attention-grabbing abilities in a reasonably empty division. The unlucky a part of this loss, nevertheless, is that her Pereira second is gone. There’s now not any likelihood of rocketing up the ranks right into a “Bullet” rematch. That narrative has been squashed, and Cong must climb the ladder rung-by-rung like somebody who hasn’t beforehand crushed Shevchenko.
On the intense facet, it ought to nonetheless be fairly enjoyable to observe.
For full UFC Macau outcomes and play-by-play, click on right here.