Renato Moicano vs. Brian Ortega rematch targeted for UFC 331

Brian Ortega is finally moving up to lightweight, and his first fight is against a former featherweight opponent.

MMA Fighting confirmed that Ortega is targeted to make his lightweight debut at UFC 331 taking on Renato Moicano. Leo Guimaraes first reported the bout. The event is expected to take place in Los Angeles on Sept. 19.

The remaatch was originally slated for UFC 326 in March but Ortega was forced to withdraw.

A two-time featherweight title challenger, Ortega has struggled with weight-cutting issues over the past few years, first pulling out of a bout with Diego Lopes at UFC 303 (the two later fought at UFC 306), and then struggling to make 145 for his bout against Aljamain Sterling at UFC Shanghai, necessitating a last-minute change to make the fight a catch-weight bout. These weight-cutting issues have also coincided with a drop in performance from “T-City,” having lost both bouts.

Currently ranked No. 10 in the UFC lightweight rankings, Moicano spent his first eight UFC fights at featherweight, including a 2017 submission loss to Ortega at UFC 214. But since moving to lightweight in 2020, “Money” has found his stride, amassing an 8-4 record in the division and challenging Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title at UFC 311. While Moicano lost that short-notice fight and his subsequent one to Beneil Dariush, “Money” rebounded with a submission win over rising prospect Chris Duncan at UFC Vegas 115 in April.

UFC 331 takes place on Sep. 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The main and co-main events have yet to be announced.

Mike Heck and Damon Martin contributed to this report.