Moicano Fires Back At Ortega After Second UFC 331 Pullout
This author receives a commission through recommended links in this content. See our affiliate disclosure.
Renato Moicano unloaded on Brian Ortega after the former featherweight contender withdrew from their UFC 331 bout five days before fight night.
Ortega suffered a cut above his left eye in training that required stitches, forcing the cancellation of their Sept. 19 matchup at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The withdrawal marked the second time Ortega pulled out of a scheduled fight with Moicano, having previously cancelled their March bout. As MMA Fighting first reported, Moicano will now headline UFC Vegas 123 against Tom Nolan on Oct. 31.
🎟️ Get tickets: Buy tickets to Crypto.com UFC 331 on Ticketmaster →
Moicano Questions Ortega's Reliability After Repeated Withdrawals
Moicano addressed the cancellation on his YouTube channel, where he questioned who would accept future bouts with Ortega given his pattern of pullouts. Per Sherdog, Moicano noted that Ortega also missed weight for his last fight against Aljamain Sterling and has now withdrawn from consecutive scheduled bouts. The Brazilian said he viewed the Ortega matchup as favorable and was frustrated to lose the opportunity at UFC 331 in Ortega's hometown after completing his training camp and weight cut.
Ortega posted on Instagram that he was on weight and had completed one of his best camps before the injury forced the withdrawal. The former featherweight title challenger was set to make his lightweight debut against Moicano after dropping three straight fights at 145 pounds. Moicano told MMA Fighting earlier last week that he was confident Ortega would show up, only to learn of the cancellation less than 72 hours later.
🎟️ Get tickets: Buy tickets to Crypto.com UFC 331 on Ticketmaster →
UFC 331 now features 12 fights, with Joshua Van defending the flyweight title against Alexandre Pantoja in the main event. Moicano faces surging prospect Nolan at the UFC Apex in six weeks.
Photo: Sexto Round / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Original reporting:
Related Fighters & Stats
.png){kind=link}
Get Ringside Updates
Fight announcements, results, and analysis delivered to your inbox. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Join the discussion
Loading the discussion…