Wang Cong

Wang Cong, known as "The Joker," is a Chinese mixed martial artist who competes in the women's flyweight division of the UFC. Born in Liaoning Province and based out of Shanghai, she came up through China's national combat-sports system, building a striking foundation years before she ever set foot in a cage.

Wang trained across several disciplines rather than specializing in one, building a long career in kickboxing and sanda, a Chinese full-contact striking sport, before turning to MMA. She has worked with coaches at the UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai to round that striking pedigree into a complete mixed martial arts game, and has also trained alongside Urijah Faber's Team Alpha Male.

Her amateur and pre-MMA resume includes an Asian Games medal and a medal at the amateur boxing World Championships, and she has described herself as a former sanda, boxing, and kickboxing world champion from her years on China's national striking circuit. She also holds a unanimous-decision kickboxing win over Valentina Shevchenko at Kunlun Fight 33, a result she still points to as proof of her striking pedigree.

Inside the cage, Wang fights as an aggressive, forward-moving striker who looks to close distance early and press the pace rather than settle into a measured, points-based rhythm. Her hands carry serious pop, a product of years in tournament striking, and she backs that power with a credible submission game picked up in grappling exchanges once the fight hits the mat.

Wang punched her ticket to the UFC by finishing her opponent on Road to UFC, then introduced herself to UFC audiences with a first-round knockout of Victoria Leonardo that earned a Performance of the Night bonus. She has since added unanimous-decision wins over Bruna Brasil, Ariane Da Silva, and Eduarda Moura