Wang Cong, one of three Chinese fighters appearing at UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia on Saturday, looked to build on the momentum countrymate Zhu Rong had set as she took on Bruna Brasil.
Cong was 1-1 in the UFC and had dropped what many felt was the Upset of the Year against Gabriella Fernandes back in November.
Brasil opened Saturday’s flyweight contest with a crisp leg kick or two, forcing Cong to the outside. Cong would fire back with a kick of her own; Brasil returned fire in kind. Early on, the action consisted mainly of feints and kicks while the pair felt each other out. That feeling out process actually continued for most of the opening frame, with single strikes and brief exchanges making up most of the action, outside of a flurry at the very end of the round.
In round two, Wang Cong began mixing in attacks to the body. Both fighters flashed stance switches, if briefly. Brasil appeared a little hesitant to pull the trigger thanks to Cong’s diverse attacks. In comparison, almost the entirety of Brasil’s offense had been comprised of leg kicks, and to that point, Wang Cong’s mobility had not been compromised. Instead, it was Cong walking forward, firing a kick to the body, then a kick down low, and later a simple, sharp 1-2 combo that backed Brasil up. As the round wore on, Cong appeared to have found her rhythm, potentially a difference-maker in a fight that had started relatively close.
At the end of the second, Cong went on the attack, ripping the body again and forcing Brasil to retreat. Between rounds, Fighting Nerds star Caio Borralho told Brasil that it might be 1-1, but that she needed to go for it.
The problem for Brasil was that, outside of her kicks, she still couldn’t get her weapons going. Cong was the fighter putting on the pressure, backing Brasil up. Cong was feinting, ripping the body, and unleashing short combos, two or three punches in bunches. Brasil, as she had in the second, was at times flat-out retreating. If Bruna Brasil was going to find a way to get back in the fight, she had to so it quick. Instead, it was China’s Wang Cong landing a high kick, bullying the Brazilian, landing a takedown at the buzzer, and ultimately cruising to a decision victory.
Official Result: Wang Cong def. Bruna Brasil by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
