UFC 332: Predictions, Best Bets, and Odds for Natalia Silva, Payton Talbott

UFC 332 goes down on Saturday from Salt Lake City, and the card is an interesting one, headlined by a bout between Natalia Silva and Wang Cong for the vacant women's flyweight championship.

After longtime dominant women's flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko suffered an injury that will keep her sidelined for at least a year, she was forced to vacate the title. With UFC 332 in need of a headliner, Silva and Cong were paired to crown a new champion in Shevchenko's absence.

The co-main event is a crossroads fight at bantamweight, with rising star Payton Talbott taking on two-time former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo . Talbot sits as a heavy favorite, but we've seen him come up short as a big favorite once already in his young UFC career.

You can watch UFC 332 live on CBS this Saturday beginning at 8 p.m. ET. The action is also available on Paramount+  -- along with every other UFC numbered event and UFC Fight Night included with your subscription! Plans start as low as $8.99/month or $89.99/year!

With such an interesting card set for UFC 332, there will no doubt be plenty of interest in the event, including at sportsbooks. With that in mind, we've once again looked at all the event's main card fights to identify our best bets for each.

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After a rough 1-3 result for our best bets for UFC 331, we are sitting at 22-24 for the year. Now we look ahead to this weekend with the goal of getting back in the black, with our only rule remaining that all bets must be at odds of -250 or better. Let's take a look at this week's picks with odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Ateba Gautier vs. Roman Kopylov

Over 1.5 rounds (-155)

Ateba Gautier is a scary man. He has finished almost all of his wins (9 of 11 career, four of five UFC), but he faces the biggest test of his career in Roman Kopylov . What makes Kopylov such an interesting opponent for Gautier isn't just his 12 Octagon appearances, but the fact that he has never been stopped by strikes in his career. In five career losses, Kopylov has twice lost by submission and three times by decision. There's a chance that Gautier's power striking wears down Kopylov, just as there's a chance Kopylov's endurance can contribute to wearing Gautier down and allowing him to take over the fight as it goes along. Because of that uncertainty, we'll instead rely on Kopylov's durability dragging this fight into the second half, and Kopylov only having been under 1.5 rounds once in his UFC career only makes the line more appealing.

Roberto Soldic vs. Khaos Williams

Roberto Soldic via KO/TKO/DQ (-150)

I don't love the line here, but it's the one I'm most comfortable with that fits our -250 or better rule. The Soldic moneyline is sitting at -260 and I do think he has exactly the right game to beat Williams, who has had some rough times against the better competition he has faced. Soldic has multiple professional boxing knockouts and 18 of his 21 pro wins in MMA have come by KO or TKO. Williams absorbs 5.34 strikes per minute, which is too many to take against someone who hits as hard as Soldic.

King Green vs. Esteban Ribovics

King Green moneyline (+190)

I'm a bit baffled by the line here. It has come back toward Green a bit in recent days, but there is still a lot of value on Green. Ribovics is explosive and throws strikes with abandon, but Green is a more efficient, more defensively disciplined fighter whose striking skills are applied in such a way that he still lands plenty without needing to provide the same kind of defensive holes as Ribovics. I think the odds could be completely flipped and arguably would make more sense than they do as they currently stand. Green is riding a four-fight winning streak, and the two-fight losing skid that came before that streak doesn't look too bad given where Mauricio Ruffy and Paddy Pimblett stand in the division. Take Green's more disciplined style here.

Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Payton Talbott

Payton Talbott via decision (+140)

Talbott's loss to Raoni Barcelos was jarring, for sure. He was a massive favorite that night and simply couldn't handle Barcelos' takedowns and ground game. For everything Figueiredo has accomplished in his career, his recent run at bantamweight has been rough. Figueiredo is tough as hell and isn't an easy out for anyone, but he didn't carry up a particularly scary amount of power, and he can't muscle anyone around at 135 pounds. Talbott will have the edge in size, power, reach and strength. That should set up a fight where Talbott gets to decide where things take place. If Talbott wants to use offensive wrestling as he did against Henry Cejudo , he should be able to do so. And if he wants to strike, he should have the ability to control the action there as well. However, Figueiredo's toughness makes getting to the final scorecards feel like a more than reasonable play.

Natalia Silva vs. Wang Cong

Natalia Silva via decision (-110)

This is a very interesting fight, even if it feels odd for a main event spot on a "numbered event." Cong is an aggressive striker who hits hard and throws a ton of strikes. Silva also brings a striker-first mentality to the Octagon, but does so with more of a defensive mentality. Silva is perfect in the UFC and has won three straight fights over former champions, giving her the more proven resume of the two. Cong has suffered defeat in the UFC, she's had two fights at a catchweight, one of which was her fault, and she was deducted a point in her most recent fight. That's an interesting and kind of strange resume, which is always fun. That said, as long as Silva can remain patient and defensively responsible, she has the right style to slow Cong and edge out what I believe will be a narrow decision.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/ufc/news/ufc-332-predictions-best-bets-odds-natalia-silva-wang-cong-payton-talbott/)._