Dana White has accidentally mixed up Wang Cong’s record with that of her UFC 332 opponent Natalia Silva while attempting to explain why the Chinese contender deserved a shot at the vacant flyweight title.
Cong will face Silva in the main event of UFC 332 this Saturday in Salt Lake City, with the vacant championship on the line after Valentina Shevchenko relinquished the belt due to injury.
Dana White Credits Wang Cong With Wins She Never Had
Speaking to reporters ahead of UFC 332, White was asked why “The Joker” received the title opportunity despite entering the matchup ranked outside the top five.
The UFC CEO pointed to Cong’s overall résumé, but then rattled off three major wins that actually belong to Silva.
Rankings are well. If you look at what she’s done in her body of work. She’s 10-1. I was just saying, she beat Rose Namajunas, she beat [Jessica] Andrade, she beat [Alexa] Grasso,” White said. “And she beat Valentina Shevchenko in a kickboxing match.
White then argued that Cong deserved the opportunity based on the names she believed were on her résumé.
As you look through the roster and look at who Shevchenko has beat and cleaned out, she’s the one who should be fighting on Saturday night.
“The Joker” is indeed 10-1 professionally and does have a kickboxing victory over Shevchenko from 2015. However, she has never fought Namajunas, Andrade or Grasso.
Those three victories belong to Silva, who enters UFC 332 as the No. 1 contender. Cong is 5-1 inside the UFC and has recorded victories over Tracy Cortez, Eduarda Moura and Ariane da Silva in her recent run.
White’s mix-up comes as UFC 332 has already faced questions over its status as a numbered event, with fans criticizing the card’s lack of major star power.
