‘Don’t get too comfortable’: Dana White, Valentina Shevchenko react to Natália Silva’s UFC 332 title win

Natália Silva may be the new UFC women’s flyweight champion, but her legendary predecessor already has her sights set on getting the belt back.

Silva defeated Wang Cong by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) Saturday night at UFC 332 to capture the vacant 125-pound title in Salt Lake City. Mere minutes after the result was official, the one woman who’s dominated the division since its inception — former two-time champion Valentina Shevchenko — congratulated Silva on her accomplishment, then issued a warning to the new titleholder.

Well deserved Natalia! Congratulations! It’s my pleasure to know that UFC Champion’s belt is now holding deserving martial artist — such as you are!

But don’t get too comfortable — keep it warm, I’m coming soon for my belt!

Well deserved Natalia! Congratulations! It’s my pleasure to know that UFC Champion’s belt is now holding deserving martial artist — such as you are!

But don’t get too comfortable — keep it warm, I’m coming soon for my belt!

Shevchenko, 38, is Uncrowned’s No. 1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the world and is widely regarded as the greatest women’s 125-pounder in MMA history. She has fought 13 consecutive bouts with the UFC flyweight title on the line, a run dating back to 2018, but was forced to vacate the belt in early September due to an undisclosed injury that’s expected to keep her out of action until 2027 — a decision which opened the door for Silva and Wang to compete for the vacant championship at UFC 332.

Silva, 29, was already expected to be the next challenger for Shevchenko’s title prior to the belt being vacated. Her decision win over Wang extended a sterling 9-0 run of UFC success, which included a trio of impressive victories over former champs — Jéssica Andrade, Alexa Grasso and Rose Namajunas — to propel her into title contention.

In gauging what’s next for the division’s newest champion, whether that means waiting for Shevchenko or fighting the next contender in line, UFC CEO Dana White indicated Saturday night that he expects Silva to keep the division moving while Shevchenko heals.

“I think she should be active,” White said of Silva at UFC 332’s post-fight press conference.

White also reacted to Saturday’s main event as a whole, reflecting on a bout that saw Silva storm out to an early lead before holding off an aggressive Wang late.

“I think that when Wang goes back and watches the film, she’s going to hate herself,” the UFC boss said. “I think that if she had stepped on the gas a little earlier, it would’ve been a completely different fight. It was close.”