Brett Okamoto Oct 1, 2026, 01:00 PM ET Close Brett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: "Chuck and Tito," which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.
For all of the growth and progress of women's MMA over the past 15 years, the 2026 schedule has raised an uncomfortable -- but glaring -- question: What is happening to women's fights? Saturday's UFC 332 event in Salt Lake City will mark the first UFC event this year headlined by women, when Natalia Silva (20-5-1) and Wang Cong (10-1) meet for the vacant flyweight title. This year's lack of high-profile women's fights (and the excitement that should accompany them) has been impossible to miss. Wang, the 34-year-old Chinese challenger, has certainly felt it in the buildup to Saturday.
"Everyone was talking about how bad this main event is," Wang told ESPN, through an interpreter. "Of course I know about it. I think me and my opponent will prove them wrong, and show this is a fight they need to watch." The sport could definitely use a boost. According to ESPN Research, the UFC has promoted 415 total bouts this year; 56 have featured women. That 13% split is the lowest mark in a decade. The last women's fight to headline any UFC event was a non-title bout between Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas in January 2025. For the last women's fight to headline a numbered event, one has to go all the way back to a bantamweight title fight between Amanda Nunes and Irene Aldana in June 2023.
Those trends are unlikely to change if some of the more underlying metrics continue to hold. Women's fights are increasingly being pushed to the prelims portion of events. In 2026, 83% of women's fights have appeared on prelims, compared with 72% in 2024, 61% in 2021 and 54% in 2017. For their part, both Wang and Silva, a 29-year-old challenger out of Brazil, are predicting a memorable matchup Saturday. Wang is a former professional kickboxer with an aggressive style. Silva is known as more of a matador, but in 2024 when she went against Jessica Andrade, the most aggressive opponent of her UFC career, they won fight of the night.
Source: ESPN General · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing