Brian Ortega was set to make his lightweight debut in a rematch against Renato Moicano at UFC 326. For ‘T-City’, it wasn’t just another fight; it was a reset. A fresh start in a new weight division after years of setbacks, injuries, and near-misses at featherweight. Then the news broke: the fight was off. And almost immediately, fans began filling in the blanks themselves.

Was it another serious injury? Surgery? A long layoff incoming? Thankfully, Ortega didn’t let the speculation linger for long. In a recent Instagram story addressed directly to his supporters, Ortega explained exactly why he made the call and why this isn’t the kind of withdrawal fans have grown used to seeing.

The UFC star shared, “Obviously, the news is coming out that I’m no longer am I fighting on March 7th in Vegas. I’m okay, health is good. No surgeries, nothing crazy like that. But I do need to take a little bit, time off to, you know, nurse these injuries that I have right now.”

That alone separated this from the usual injury cancellations that derail entire years. So what happened? In his own words, “It just sucks, you know, where it’s not crazy like that where I need to have surgery but I’ll have to rest it and let it heal and chill and do some physical therapy so I’m gonna be on that mission.”

So, it was just accumulated wear that needed attention before it turned into something worse. And then he offered reassurance that fans have been waiting to hear for a long time: “I’m still planning on fighting twice this year so you know, look out.”

For context, Brian Ortega hasn’t had an easy run over the last few years as he’s only won one fight out of his last five. His fight against Aljamain Sterling was also preceded by a serious health scare that nearly kept him out of competition entirely. That incident apparently played a major role in his decision to move up to lightweight, where cutting less weight could help preserve his body long-term.

The Renato Moicano rematch was supposed to be the first chapter of that plan, but instead, it’s seemingly delayed. Still, the withdrawal also led to conflicting reports that indicated that a new opponent had been found for the Brazilian!

Brian Ortega’s UFC 326 withdrawal leaves Renato Moicano hanging as replacement report leads to confusion

The ripple effect hit almost immediately as soon as Brian Ortega confirmed he was out, attention shifted away from why he withdrew and toward what the UFC planned to do next. That’s when the story took a sharp turn into uncertainty.

Brazilian reporter Léo Walker Guimaraes was the first to light the fuse, claiming the UFC had already lined up a replacement for Renato Moicano at UFC 326. According to his report, Ortega was officially out, and the promotion was preparing to slide in Tom Nolan on short notice.

He went further, adding that Moicano’s side had already agreed, even though contracts weren’t signed yet. But Nolan’s manager, Daniel Rubenstein, publicly disputed the entire report and didn’t mince words while doing it.

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“That’s not what the organization told me the plans were for Tom Nolan a mere day ago, Leo I’m easy to find if you ever need to confirm something with one of my guys, since clearly you only spoke to the Brazilian side of this equation, instead of posting “exclusive” fake info”, Rubenstein fired back, immediately throwing cold water on the idea that anything was finalized. For Moicano, this was supposed to be a chance to rebound after his loss to Beneil Dariush at UFC 317, and he’s now left in limbo as we wait on more news about the situation.

For Brian Ortega, though, the takeaway is clearer. The lightweight move isn’t off, it’s just delayed. The question now isn’t if Ortega shows up at 155 pounds, it’s when, and whether this version of ‘T-City’ finally gets to start the chapter he’s been trying to turn the page to all along? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!