LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – AUGUST 24: Wang Cong of China reacts after her KO victory over Victoria … (+)
When the dust settled on Saturday night, the following fighters earned Fight Night bonuses for their performances on the UFC Vegas 96 fight card: Caio Borralho, Jared Cannonier, Michael Morales and Gerald Meerschaert. Each of these fighters competed on the main card of the UFC Fight Night event at the Apex in Las Vegas.
Noticeably absent from the bonus winners was the fighter who set the tone on Saturday: Wang Cong. Cong made her UFC debut at UFC Vegas 96, sending the more experienced Victoria Leonardo to the land of wind and spirits with a stunning first-round knockout. The end came 62 seconds into the women’s flyweight bout when Cong, who seemed calm, confident and relaxed in the Octagon, unleashed a two-punch combination that dropped Leonardo to the mat unconscious. Cong didn’t have to follow up with any ground strikes.
According to her Instagram post, Cong didn’t stay until the end of the entertaining fight card, so she woke up on Sunday morning to find that she had been passed over for the $50,000 prize. The 32-year-old former professional kickboxer wrote: “Wake up and realize there is no POTN. Next fight you will see a more spectacular finish at @ufc. Don’t play with Joker again!”
Five hours after that post went live, UFC CEO Dana White, who was not in person at UFC Vegas 96, responded to Cong and told her he would be giving her a bonus for her efforts. “I was out of town watching the fight @mystiqueboston on TV. You looked AMAZING. I’m adding another PON bonus to you. Congrats you get 50k,” White wrote.
Cong’s knockout was memorable. Not only did she not have to follow up with ground strikes after throwing her opponent to the ground, but the stoppage was the second-fastest knockout in UFC women’s flyweight division history. The only knockout that came quicker was Priscila Cachoeira’s 40-second knockout of Shana Dobson in February 2020.
After her spectacular finish, the UFC Vegas 96 commentary team praised the debutant highly and claimed that Cong was already in the running as a possible title contender.
It’s far too early to make such claims after watching a fighter in the Octagon for 62 seconds, but Cong looked ready and sounded like she was ready to take on a much tougher challenge in her next fight with the promotion. Following the win, Cong asked the UFC to put her on the main card of the upcoming fight card in Macau, which takes place on November 23 at the Galaxy Arena.
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