MACAU, CHINA – NOVEMBER 23: Brazil’s Gabriela Fernandez punches China’s Wang Kong during a women’s flyweight bout at UFC Fight Night at Galaxy Arena on November 23, 2024 in Macau, China. . (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Undefeated flyweight Wang Kong was looking to follow up her bonus-winning UFC debut against Gabriela Fernandez at UFC Macau on Saturday.
In her UFC debut, Kong knocked out Victoria Leonardo, earning her a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus. With this, her record improved to 6 wins and 0 losses. Fernandez had three fights in the UFC with one win and two losses.
Will Kong’s certified kickboxing striker continue his winning streak in front of his home crowd, or will Fernandez spoil the party with an upset?
Wang started the fight with understandable confidence, gaining space and landing well-placed body kicks. Fernandes stayed on the outside, played solid defense and landed a few leg kicks. After a few seconds, Wang began to unleash sharp boxing combinations that landed on Fernandez. Gabriella was trying to land single strikes, but it was clear in the early exchanges of blows that Kong was much more sophisticated.
Midway through the round, Wang threw a sidekick that Fernandez bounced into the cage. Kong began to gain momentum, hitting and landing shots more frequently and his confidence grew. Fernandez managed to clinch after one exchange, but Kong shook her off. Gabriela was successful with a counter left hand, but as the fight continued, Kong’s bodywork began to pay off. The round ended with Gabriella eating another stiff sidekick before the fighters returned to their respective corners.
Gabriela tried to start the striking from the start of the second round, but Wang seemed to have an answer for everything. Kong easily dodged multiple punch combinations and waited patiently for a body kick that echoed throughout the arena. Fernandez missed a few head kicks and went for a takedown midway through the round, but was stuffed.
Fernandez then delivered a head kick that hit Wang in the temple, sending him to the canvas. The king appeared and seemed okay for a moment. She started to fight back, but Fernadez melted her opponent down with a picture-perfect left hand in her pocket. Fernandez jumped on his opponent’s back and, seconds later, put him in a rear-naked choke, leaving Kong motionless and face down on the canvas. The referee intervened to separate Fernandez and revealed that Kong was indeed unconscious. Gabriela pulled off an improbable comeback against the local favorite, adding a nasty head kick and technical submission to her highlights along the way.
In an emotional post-match interview, Gabriela Fernandez wept over her victory and explained through two translators that she had lost both her father and sister. She went on to say that she went into this fight as an underdog despite suffering serious injuries, but now she is leaving China as a winner.
Official result: Gabriela Fernandez def. Wang Cong technical submission (rear naked choke), round 2, 3:49
