Moicano erupts at Ortega after second late withdrawal: 'Nobody will ever trust you again'

Renato Moicano has unleashed a furious public rebuke of Brian Ortega after the featherweight withdrew from UFC 331 on Sept. 19 — the second time Ortega has cancelled a scheduled fight with him in 2025. Ortega cited a cut over his left eye as the reason for pulling out of the Los Angeles card, leaving Moicano without a fight less than 72 hours after he had told MMA Fighting he was fully confident the bout would go ahead.

Moicano vented his frustration on his YouTube channel, calling Ortega’s withdrawal inexcusable given the circumstances. “Ortega chickened out,” he said. “Something I never expected whatsoever. Quite simply, the easiest fight in the division just slipped right through my fingers.”

The Brazilian fighter was particularly scathing about the timing and context of the cancellation. Ortega was coming off three or four consecutive losses, had not competed in over two years, and was set to fight in his hometown of Los Angeles — factors Moicano said made the withdrawal all the more baffling. “This guy is coming off four straight losses, hasn’t fought in over two years, and this is already the second fight he’s pulled out of with one week to go,” Moicano said. “And it’s the second fight against me, man. Twice against me.”

Moicano, who describes himself as a YouTuber alongside his fighting career, said the repeated cancellations carry real financial and personal costs that go unacknowledged. “You have to cut weight, you spend money on training, you spend hours not producing content,” he said. “How many days of live streams did I miss? How many days of dieting did I go through just to punch your bum-ass face?”

Beyond his personal grievance, Moicano suggested Ortega’s pattern of late withdrawals — which also include a missed weight against Aljamain Sterling — will make it difficult for him to find future opponents. “Nobody is ever going to trust you again,” Moicano said. “Who’s going to want to fight Brian Ortega?” He acknowledged he had briefly considered accepting a third fight with Ortega purely for financial reasons, describing it as “the easiest half a million dollars I was ever going to put in my pocket,” but stopped short of committing to the idea.

Moicano will now headline UFC Vegas 123 against Tom Nolan on Oct. 31, a bout announced by the UFC shortly after the UFC 331 cancellation was confirmed.