UFC 332: Wang Cong's Joker Persona and Her Road to the Flyweight Title
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Joker persona helps Cong 'feel the fear' in opponents
Image source: Getty Images
Image caption: Wang Cong has won 10 of her 11 professional MMA fights
By Paul Battison, BBC Sport Journalist
Published 2 hours ago
Before Wang Cong faces off with her opponents, she dyes her hair green, paints her face white, and draws a bright red grin from cheek to cheek. Fans might assume Cong is paying tribute to Batman's notorious arch-enemy, the Joker, but the Chinese fighter has a different inspiration in mind.
The 34-year-old, who is on a four-fight win streak, explains that her persona comes from the joker playing card that inspired the comic-book villain. She believes wearing face paint allows her to "feel the fear" in her opponents.
On Saturday at UFC 332 in Salt Lake City, Cong will attempt to invoke the same emotions in Brazilian Natalia Silva when they battle for the vacant flyweight world title.
"It means the most powerful card, so I want to be the most powerful," Cong tells BBC Sport. "When I have paint on, I feel crazy. It makes me perform better; it inspires me. There's not much different between paint and no paint—this is my true personality."
Cong has bewildered opponents at weigh-ins while sporting the Joker makeup and even adopts the alias when messaging friends back in China via social media. She once tossed an imaginary coin, pretended to shoot a gun, before her fight against Gabriella Fernandes in 2024, and gifted Tracy Cortez a pack of fake eyelashes before their flyweight encounter in July.
Cong laughs while promising Silva a "surprise" but becomes serious as she pays tribute to her opponent:
"She's an incredible fighter, with an eight-fight win streak in UFC, having beaten three former champions. She has amazing footwork, distance control, and kicks."
Silva, ranked number one in the UFC's flyweight rankings, was set to face Valentina Shevchenko for the vacant title before the bout was canceled due to injury. Consequently, Silva was expected to challenge for the belt, but Cong—ranked sixth—says she feels justified in her selection:
"To be honest, I was a little bit surprised, but if you look at the rankings, the girls ranked higher than me have either a fight booked or they have just fought. I'm on a four-win streak, so that makes sense."
The fight will mark the first women's main event in the UFC since Mackenzie Dern beat Amanda Ribas in January 2025. The last time two women headlined one of the UFC's flagship numbered events was when Amanda Nunes defeated in June 2023.
Cong says it's "meaningful" to be flying the flag for women's MMA after a period of underrepresentation in the UFC and is excited about the potential opportunities her success could bring to China. If she wins, Cong will become only the second Chinese UFC champion after former strawweight title holder Zhang Weili.