Ortega Makes Lightweight Debut Against Familiar Foe
Brian Ortega will finally move up to lightweight for his first fight at 155 pounds when he meets Renato Moicano at UFC 331 in Los Angeles. The bout was confirmed by MMA Fighting after Leo Guimaraes initially reported the matchup, with the event scheduled for Sept. 19 at Crypto.com Arena.
Weight Struggles Prompt Division Change
Ortega, a two-time featherweight title challenger, has battled severe weight-cutting issues over recent years. He withdrew from a planned fight with Diego Lopes at UFC 303 before losing to Lopes at UFC 306, then missed weight for a bout against Aljamain Sterling at UFC Shanghai that was converted to a catch-weight contest. Both fights ended in defeat for the former title contender.
Moicano enters the rematch ranked No. 10 in the lightweight division after finding his footing at 155 pounds. The Brazilian dropped a submission to Ortega at UFC 214 during his featherweight run but has gone 8-4 since moving up in 2020, including a title challenge against Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 and a recent submission victory over Chris Duncan at UFC Vegas 115.
The pairing reschedules a fight originally targeted for UFC 326 in March before Ortega was forced to withdraw. With main and co-main events still unannounced, the lightweight clash adds significant stakes to a card headlined by two veterans seeking momentum in new territory.