{"id":449014,"date":"2026-01-31T06:49:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T06:49:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/449014\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T06:49:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T06:49:08","slug":"brian-ortega-pulls-out-of-ufc-326-due-to-nagging-injuries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/449014\/","title":{"rendered":"Brian Ortega pulls out of UFC 326 due to nagging injuries"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Brett OkamotoJan 31, 2026, 03:45 PM<\/p>\n

Close<\/a>Brett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: “Chuck and Tito,” which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.<\/p>\n

Multiple Authors<\/p>\n

Brian Ortega<\/a>‘s move to lightweight has been postponed, again.<\/p>\n

Ortega (16-5) has withdrawn from his 155-pound bout against Renato Moicano<\/a> (20-7-1) at UFC 326 because of nagging injuries, the former featherweight title challenger announced Friday.<\/p>\n

Ortega, 34, has been talking about a move up to lightweight for more than a year, but unexpected opportunities at 145 pounds and now injuries have prevented it from happening.<\/p>\n

“I’m OK, health is good, no surgeries or nothing crazy like that,” Ortega revealed on Instagram<\/a>. “But I do need to take a little bit of some time off to nurse these injuries that I have right now.<\/p>\n

“It just sucks, where 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 get some physical therapy.”<\/p>\n

Ortega first discussed the move to lightweight in 2024, but ultimately took a matchup against Diego Lopes<\/a> at UFC 303 in June of that year. He was forced to withdraw from that matchup the week of the fight because of medical complications that arose during his weight cut.<\/p>\n

The cancellation resulted in the UFC rebooking the Lopes pairing several months later. Ortega went on to face Aljamain Sterling<\/a> in a planned featherweight bout in August, even after he was hospitalized during his cut.<\/p>\n

Ortega challenged unsuccessfully for the featherweight title in 2018 and 2021.<\/p>\n

The UFC has not announced a replacement for Moicano. UFC 326 is set for March 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n