Ariane da Silva’s extra weight did little to tip the scales in her favor, as Wang Cong delivered a spectacular performance to silence the doubters at UFC 316. Ahead of the bout, the ‘Queen of Violence’ missed weight by a massive six pounds due to a benign tumor, forcing the UFC to put the bout together at catchweight. Many fans were outraged, believing the Brazilian’s weight advantage could impact the outcome—but ‘The Joker’ proved them wrong with a dominant victory that stole the spotlight.
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Going into the fight, it was nearly certain that the Brazilian would find it difficult to navigate her way across the Chinese as she was suffering from complications from a benign tumor in her pituitary gland. The MMA community believed that da Silva would have the upper hand considering her weight, but the reality was much different. ‘The Joker’ dominated Ariane da Silva with relentless leg kicks from the very beginning of the fight.
The Brazilian did land some good shots, but Wang’s striking was cleaner, and her leg kicks kept the ‘Queen of Violence’ at bay. The damage added up quickly, especially by the end of round two, when Da Silva was visibly hurt and struggling to stay mobile. Da Silva showed heart by making it to the third round, but she had no answer to Wang’s steady, relentless pressure and precision striking. By the end of the fight, it was clear that ‘The Joker’ was the clear winner of the battle.
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Official Result: Wang Cong def. Ariane Da Silva by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). Well, ahead of UFC 316, da Silva was already feeling nauseous as per her coach and husband, Renato da Silva. Talking to MMAFighting, he said, “There was a moment this morning she wasn’t feeling good. I know her body. There was still something left there to cut, but at the same time her reactions weren’t normal.”
Unanimous for The Joker 🃏#UFC316
Wang Cong beats Ariane da Silva by decision! pic.twitter.com/RGEbHn4Krv
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) June 7, 2025
He further added. “She wasn’t walking right, she was blinking too slow, she had double vision, and couldn’t focus, her voice sounded weak. She was giving us dangerous signs as she dropped weight. People say something without knowing anything.” Her condition was not at all stable to get back inside the Octagon, but she still did, and the result was another defeat in her UFC career. Given that, let us have a look at what the fans had to say.
MMA community reacts in unison as Ariane Da Silva loses battle at UFC 316
To start it off, one social media user believed that da Silva would have gotten knocked out if she hadn’t fought in the catchweight, “If Silva wasnt so overweight she might’ve gotten koed or rocked badly from some of the shots she was taking. She didnt have to cut at all.” While that may be true, there’s no denying that her tumor truly played the role of a spoilsport.
Another social media user expressed, “and that extra bonus from her opponent missing weight. Good night for the Joker!” What bonus is he talking about? Well, since it was Da Silva’s fault that the fight took place at catchweight, the Brazilian had to relinquish 30% of her fight purse to Wang Cong.
Another MMA fan stated that the extra weight didn’t help her one bit: “Extra pounds did not help Ariane.” The MMA community might think that extra weight might have helped her in the battle, but the reality was completely opposite.“Ariane won’t have an advantage in the fight because she suffered more than she would have had she made weight,” said Renato da Silva.
Moreover, another social media user believed that Wang Cong should take a big amount from the Brazilian,“She should take more than 25% of Arianes purse that was a bad miss and most likely had a massive effect on the fight but Wang still clearly beat her.” Last but not the least, a fan stated that ‘The Joker’ has become more mature after her defeat to Gabriella Fernandes,“Wang got much more cautious since she was finished by Fernandes.”
Now riding a three-fight losing streak, da Silva’s UFC career might be in jeopardy. Regardless, what are your thoughts on the fight? Share your opinions in the comments below.
Written by
Edited by
Syed Rahil Ahmed