Wang Cong defeated Tracy Cortez by unanimous decision Saturday night at UFC 329 inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. All three judges scored the fight 29-27 in favor of Cong, who entered the bout ranked No. 10 in the women's flyweight division and riding a three-fight winning streak.
Cortez, ranked No. 8, came into the fight looking to rebound from a loss to Erin Blanchfield. She changed gyms before the bout and relocated to Mexico City to prepare. She pressed forward early and took the fight to Cong in the first round, but Cong consistently attacked the legs of Cortez, landing calf kicks that visibly damaged Cortez's lead leg. A takedown attempt by Cortez in the first round was quickly neutralized when Cong returned to her feet and fended off a guillotine choke attempt.
The second round saw a point deducted from Cong after she landed an illegal knee to the face of Cortez. That deduction evened the round on the scorecard. Cortez's corner instructed her between rounds to get the fight to the ground. She was unable to do so consistently.
In the third round, Cong again opened with a left hook and a calf kick. One of those calf kicks forced Cortez to switch stances. Cortez connected with a clean right hand late in the round, but Cong countered effectively and controlled the final minutes. The judges scored the round 10-9 for Cong, giving her the fight by three rounds to two after accounting for the point deduction.
The fight was part of a historically significant card. According to CBS Sports, UFC 329's main event featured Conor McGregor's return to the octagon after five years away, the result of a broken leg suffered in his 2021 trilogy match with Dustin Poirier. McGregor faced Max Holloway at welterweight, a rematch of their 2013 featherweight bout. Holloway entered as the betting favorite at -225, with McGregor listed at +185 on DraftKings Sportsbook as of July 10.
The co-main event featured Paddy Pimblett against Benoit Saint Denis at lightweight. Pimblett suffered his first UFC loss in January to Justin Gaethje and was looking to re-enter the title conversation. Saint Denis entered as a -148 favorite.
Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker also appeared on the card, moving up to light heavyweight to face Nikita Krylov. Olympic and collegiate wrestling standout Gable Steveson made his UFC debut in a heavyweight bout against Elisha Ellison, entering as a heavy -1800 favorite.