REPORT: Brian Ortega booked for UFC 331 lightweight debut vs. former foe

Former UFC featherweight title challenger Brian Ortega will fight in his hometown as he completes his full-time move to lightweight.

After a scary pre-fight weight cut ahead of UFC Shanghai, former featherweight title challenger Brian Ortega will make the full-time move to the lightweight division. Ortega has lost four of his last five fights, including his recent unanimous decision loss to former bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling at UFC Shanghai.

Ortega adds to a star-studded lightweight division as he looks to pursue at least one more title push in his career. At 35 years old, time is arguably running out for Ortega’s championship aspirations.

As Ortega embarks on this new venture, he’ll face a former featherweight foe on the rumored Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan 2 undercard.

REPORT: Brian Ortega set to face former rival in long-awaited lightweight debut

As first reported by MMA journalist Leo Guimaraes, a matchup between Ortega and Top 15 lightweight Renato Moicano is in the works for UFC 331 on September 19th. The card will mark the promotion’s return to the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.

As of this writing, the promotion hasn’t announced any major fights for UFC 331, including the reported Ortega vs. Moicano matchup.

Moicano returns to the Octagon after submitting Chris Duncan in a UFC Fight Night main event in April. He bounced back well from back-to-back losses to Beneil Dariush and Islam Makhachev.

Ortega submitted Moicano in their first fight in the featherweight division at UFC 214. Three fights later, Ortega would fight then-featherweight champion Max Holloway at UFC 231, losing by TKO.

The two UFC veterans will look to enter the lightweight title mix with an impressive win in the Octagon.

The full UFC 331 card is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

What is your prediction for Brian Ortega vs. Renato Moicano? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!