Undefeated flyweight Wang Cong landed a rare one-punch knockout on Saturday night in her octagon debut, but was snubbed for a fight night bonus.
The Chinese starlet, who famously holds a win over Valentina Shevchenko in kickboxing, signed with the UFC this year after winning on an episode of Road to the UFC. And she made her debut against Victoria Leonardo at Saturday night’s Fight Night at the Apex in Las Vegas.
It took ‘The Joker’ just 62 seconds to land a one-punch knockout, which almost landed her in the record books. Flyweights rarely land quick-fire KOs, and Wang was just 22 seconds away from the fastest all time stoppage which Priscila Cachoeira landed on Shana Dobson in 2022.
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Wang Cong lands stunning first round KO in UFC debut
The highly-touted Chinese prospect Wang Cong won her way into MMA’s top promotion with an impressive submission victory over Paula Luna back in May. This followed a January victory over Wu Yanan, who was a veteran of the octagon.
She showed off some personality during fight week when during a usually drab Apex weigh-in, she showed up dressed in Joker makeup, an ode to her nickname. And she showed her intensity early against UFC veteran Leonardo the following night.
Wang showed off her impressive striking early and just over a minute into the bout landed a stunning right cross that instantly saw the bout called off. She almost immediately told the media she has intentions of repeating her win over Shevchenko as she set her sights high.
Dana White offers special $50,000 bonus after initial snub
On the night, four bonus checks were awarded to fighters, with two performance bonuses and one for fight of the night. The main event of Jared Cannonier vs Caio Borralho went the distance and saw both middleweights get an extra payout.
Then it was veteran middleweight Gerald Meerschaert, who broke Anderson Silva’s 12-year record for most finishes in the division with his shock submission win over Edmen Shahbazyan. Michael Morales picked up the last nod as he knocked out Neil Magny in a round.
This irked Wang Cong, who took to Instagram writing: “Wake up and find out there is no POTN [Performance of the Night]. Next fight you will see more spectacular finish UFC. Don’t play with Joker again!”
Dana White replied in the comments section, writing: “I was out of town and watched the fight at Mystique Boston on TV. You looked AMAZING. I’m adding another POTN bonus for you. Congrats you get 50k.”
Wang Cong plans to dethrone Valentina Shevchenko after kickboxing win
The most famous result of Wang Cong’s pre-UFC career was a kickboxing victory over the future multiple-time champion Valentina Shevchenko. Back in 2015, she took a decision win over the now-legendary fighter, and claims she is still the better striker of the two.
“You guys only know I beat Shevchenko in kickboxing,” Cong said during the post-fight media scrum in Las Vegas. “But you don’t know I’m a sambo world champion, a boxing world champion, and a kickboxing world champion.
“I think comparing Valentina Shevchenko to me is that she has more experience. But I took some time to compete in boxing. I believe my striking is better than her… If she takes the fight, [I can land the victory at] any time.”