Wang Cong adopts joker persona ahead of UFC 332 vacant flyweight title fight
Wang Cong will face Natalia Silva for the vacant flyweight world title on Saturday at UFC 332 in Salt Lake City, and the 34-year-old says her Joker-inspired face paint helps her unsettle opponents. Wang Cong has won 10 of her 11 professional MMA fights and enters the bout on a four-fight win streak.
Before bouts Cong dyes her hair green, paints her face white and draws a bright red grin from cheek to cheek; fans may assume she is paying tribute to Batman's villain but she says the look comes from the joker playing card that inspired the comic-book character. She says she can "feel the fear" in her opponents when she wears the face paint. "It means the most powerful card, so I want to be the most powerful," Cong tells BBC Sport. "When I have paint on I feel crazy. It makes me perform better, it inspires me. There's not much different between paint and no paint, this is my true personality."
Cong has used the persona at weigh-ins and on social media, adopting the Joker alias when messaging back home in China, and she has left rivals baffled with pre-fight antics. She tossed an imaginary coin and pretended to shoot a gun before her fight against Gabriella Fernandes in 2024 and in July she gifted Tracy Cortez a pack of fake eyelashes before their flyweight encounter. Cong says Silva can expect a "surprise" of her own before their fight at the Delta Centre, although she also pays tribute to her opponent.
Natalia Silva is 29 and arrives on a 14-fight win streak across different promotions and is the favourite to capture the vacant title after Valentina Shevchenko was forced to vacate the belt last month through injury. Silva is number one in the UFC's flyweight rankings and was set to face Shevchenko for the belt before that bout was cancelled, so she was expected to challenge for the vacant title.
Some fans questioned the choice of sixth-ranked Cong for the title fight and she admits she was surprised by the booking. "To be honest I was a little bit surprised but if you see the rankings, the girls ranked higher than me have either a fight booked or they have just fought," said Cong. "I'm on a four-win streak so that makes sense."
The matchup will be the UFC's first women's main event since Mackenzie Dern beat Amanda Ribas in January 2025; the article notes the last time two women headlined one of the UFC's flagship numbered events was when Amanda Nunes defeated in June 2023. Cong says it is "meaningful" to represent women's MMA after a period of under representation in the UFC and is excited about opportunities her success could create in China. "MMA is my final transition in my combat sports career. I think my success will encourage more athletes to be brave and try mixed martial arts in China," said Cong.
The event has received criticism on social media from fans who wanted other fighters such as Jiri Prochazka, Ciryl Gane and Alex Pereira to headline instead. When asked for a message to her critics, Cong replied: "I've got nothing to say right now. After my fight I think they will shut up."
If Cong wins the bout she will become only the second Chinese UFC champion after former strawweight title holder Zhang Weili, with the vacant flyweight title on the line at the Delta Centre as part of UFC 332 on Saturday.