Just five days before UFC 331 was set to go down at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, a main card fight got scrapped. Brian Ortega is officially out of his scheduled bout against Renato Moicano due to injury, and the promotion isn’t even bothering to replace him on the card. That’s a brutal blow for fans looking forward to that matchup, but it means a huge, unexpected opportunity for someone else.
Ortega’s Injury and a Familiar Story
While no official injury details came out from the UFC, a clue emerged from Christian rapper Lecrae. He posted an Instagram story on Sunday showing Ortega with what looked like some fairly significant damage around his left eye area. So yeah, it sounds pretty gnarly. What makes this even wilder is that this isn’t the first time this specific fight has been messed up. This is the second time Ortega vs. Moicano 2 has been canceled in 2026 alone! It was originally set for March, but Ortega pulled out due to injury then too. Moicano ended up fighting Chris Duncan instead, submitting him in Round 2. Ortega currently holds a 16-5 MMA record, with 8-5 in the UFC, so it’s a real shame to see him sidelined again after this much anticipation.
Moicano’s Surprise Main Event
But where one door closes, a bigger one apparently opens for Renato Moicano. He’s not fighting on UFC 331, sure, but now he’s getting his own headliner at UFC Fight Night 292 on October 31, live from Meta APEX in Las Vegas! His new opponent is Tom Nolan, an exciting 26-year-old rising contender from Australia. This will be Nolan’s very first UFC headliner appearance, and he’s riding a hot five-fight win streak, last defeating Fares Ziam by unanimous decision in June. Moicano brings a 21-7-1 MMA record (13-7 UFC) to the cage, while Nolan is an impressive 11-1 MMA (5-1 UFC). Talk about a massive break for Nolan, and a sweet consolation prize for Moicano getting a main event slot!
So, while UFC 331 takes a hit losing a big main card fight, the fight game keeps moving. You’ll still see Champ Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja battle for the flyweight title at 331. And make sure you mark your calendars for October 31st to see Moicano go for it in his main event against Nolan. You know we’ll be tuning in to see who comes out on top!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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