Brian Ortega pulled out of his UFC 331 fight with Renato Moicano earlier this week after a cut over his left eyebrow required stitches, removing the bout from Saturday’s card and delaying his official UFC lightweight debut. The injury came in the middle of a jiu-jitsu session, Ortega said, and he argued he would not have made it through the California Commission with the cut still open.
He addressed the fallout on Tuesday in a social media post that mixed apology with anger. Ortega said those who wanted to see him fight and were upset about the withdrawal deserved an apology, but he also lashed out at people accusing him of being scared or ducking the matchup, calling them “stupid people among stupid people.” He added that the injury was a freak accident and said fans had earned their anger toward him.
The withdrawal landed hard because it was the second time this year Ortega had backed out of a fight with Moicano. It also added another missed opportunity for a former two-time featherweight title challenger who has lost four of his last five bouts and has dealt with several weight-related issues before fights. His most recent result was a unanimous decision loss to Aljamain Sterling.
The cancellation leaves UFC 331 without the matchup that was supposed to introduce Ortega at lightweight, and the biggest unanswered question now is when he will be cleared to return and whether UFC 326 stays part of the backdrop to the next booking. For now, Ortega is left explaining a cut, a withdrawal and the kind of backlash that follows when a fight fans wanted to see disappears on the eve of the event.
