Ortega withdraws from UFC 331 rematch with Moicano due to eye injury

Brian Ortega has withdrawn from his UFC 331 rematch with Renato Moicano due to a cut above his right eye that required stitches, canceling the fight for the second time this year. The bout was scheduled for the main card of UFC 331 on September 19 in Los Angeles. The UFC confirmed the injury and removed the matchup from the card. Ortega announced the withdrawal in a statement posted to Instagram. "This one hurts. I have to pull out of the fight because of the stitches in my eye," he wrote. "I'm on weight, I've been training my ass off, and this has honestly been one of the best camps I've ever had." He indicated he plans to return to fighting in November. The cancellation marks the second time this year the Ortega-Moicano rematch has fallen through. Their lightweight bout was previously booked for UFC 326 on March 7 but was canceled after Ortega revealed nagging injuries had forced him out. The latest setback is part of a longer pattern of career disruptions for Ortega, including a same-day withdrawal from a UFC 303 bout in June 2024 and a 2019 knee injury that forced him out of a main event. Moicano expressed frustration with the withdrawal in a reaction on his YouTube channel.