Damian
Pinas believes his rapid rise in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship has changed how opponents and
fans view him.

Pinas returns to action on Oct. 3 at UFC
332 in Salt Lake City against Andrey
Pulyaev. The middleweight prospect says he is treated
differently after recording back-to-back finishes since earning a
contract on
Dana White's Contender Series.

Damian Pinas says back-to-back UFC finishes changed how people
view him

Pinas (10-1) has finished all 10 of his professional victories,
including nine by knockout and one by submission. However, Pinas
believes his recent UFC success has brought him increased
recognition. Ahead of his fight at UFC 332, “The Baba Yagaâ€
discussed how expectations have changed following his recent
performances.

“Yeah, since my last fight, everybody gave me more respect, more
recognition; they didn’t count me out anymore because before that
they were counting me out, now they put it on my name because I’ve
been working hard to get so far in the year to the UFC… It’s
amazing,†Pinas said in a pre-fight interview.

Pinas also maintains there is more to his game than what he has
shown in the UFC, although he plans to keep that part of his
arsenal under wraps for now.

“Now, my grappling area… Nobody saw my grappling,†Pinas added.
“Everybody thinks that I don’t have grappling, but I keep it quiet…
One day I will show you guys.â€

“He will have nowhere to go.â€

Damian
Pinas is happy to see his hard work paying off and hopes to
extend his first-round knockout streak in the UFC to three on
October 3. #UFC332

Fight by Fight Preview âž¡ï¸: https://t.co/Sw9Lgv3uJ3 pic.twitter.com/Gpi6WtSQg5

— UFC News (@UFCNews)
September 30, 2026

Cong
Wang has detailed her experience during sparring sessions at

Team Alpha Male.

Wang (10-1) is on the verge of the biggest fight of her
Ultimate Fighting Championship career. She faces Natalia
Silva for the vacant women's flyweight title at UFC
332 on Oct. 3 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The Chinese
flyweight says her training partners at the Sacramento-based gym
quickly realized she could handle a more intense level of
sparring.

UFC 332 title challenger Cong Wang details sparring at Team
Alpha Male

Part of Wang's preparation for UFC 332 included training at Team
Alpha Male, where she said her sparring partners began going harder
against her after experiencing her striking firsthand. According to
Wang, teammates who might go easier when sparring with other women
instead increase their intensity against her.

“Yes, that’s true,†Wang said in a pre-fight interview. “They will
go easy against the other girls, but when they spar with [me], they
find the difficulty in the level of striking. They will go harder.
They will even swing against [me]. That’s why [I am] treated like
boys in the gym.â€

Wang enters her upcoming title fight on a four-fight winning
streak, most recently defeating Tracy
Cortez by unanimous decision. Silva, meanwhile, is unbeaten in
eight UFC appearances and holds victories over former champions
Jessica
Andrade, Alexa
Grasso and Rose
Namajunas.

a mixup in sparring??? 🤣

Wang Cong is ready for anyone in the Octagon!

[ #UFC332
| OCT 3 | 8pmET | LIVE on @ParamountPlus
& @CBS ]
pic.twitter.com/ulDKPE0v8R

— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount)
September 30, 2026