Brian Ortega won’t be making his scheduled move to lightweight at UFC 326.
The former featherweight title challenger, who was bumping up to 155 pounds for a rematch against Renato Moicano in March, revealed that he’s dealing with some nagging injuries that are going to require some time off. Ortega beat Moicano in their first meeting with a third-round guillotine choke submission back in 2017.
As dejected as he was to share the news, Ortega promised he’s not dealing with anything serious that would keep him sidelined for an extended period of time but he’s not healthy enough to fight Moicano in March.
“Obviously the news is coming out that no longer am I fighting March 7 in Vegas,” Ortega said on Instagram. “I’m OK. Health is good. No surgeries, nothing crazy like that but I do need to take a little bit, some time off to nurse these injuries that I have right now. It just sucks. It’s not crazy like that where I need to have surgery but I have to rest it and let it heal and chill and do some physical therapy. I’m going to be on that mission. That’s it.
“But it’s just a little bit delayed. Nothing crazy. I’m still planning on fighting twice this year. Look out.”
It’s been a tumultuous few years for Ortega where his health and problems with weight cutting have slowed down his career.
In 2024, Ortega was scheduled to face featherweight contender Diego Lopes at UFC 303 but he wasn’t able to make the 146-pound limit for a non-title fight. The matchup was expected to move forward at a catchweight but Ortega ultimately dropped off the card on fight day and he was replaced by Dan Ige on short notice.
Most recently, Ortega suffered through another brutal weight cut that left him unable to get anywhere near the 146-pound limit for a fight scheduled against Aljamain Sterling. Subsequently, Ortega moved forward with the fight with a new 153-pound limit but he was unable to do much in the five-round contest before ultimately losing a unanimous decision.
Overall, Ortega has gone 1-4 in his past five fights.
Now the 34-year-old veteran has to wait until sometime later in 2026 to book his next fight after dropping out of UFC 326.
As of now, Moicano is expected to remain on the card against a new opponent, although there’s no word yet on who he might be facing in March.
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