“Not Meant to Be”: Renato Moicano Reveals UFC Offered Him Brian Ortega Again but He Refused

Renato Moicano fought a three-round war against Brian Ortega in his fourth UFC fight in 2017. It was an amazing, striking exchange between both ‌contenders. 

In the third round, however, Ortega took advantage of Moicano’s takedown and caught him in a guillotine choke. The fight ended at the 2:59 mark of Round 3, and it was awarded the Fight of the Night bonus. It is also regarded as one of the best fights of 2017. As a result, a rematch was always on the radar. However, it never came to fruition. 

Renato Moicano Reveals Why He Rejected the Brian Ortega Rematch

“Yeah, like, I was supposed to fight Brian at the beginning of the year. And then again last month, but for some reason, like you say, it's not meant to be. So the UFC even offered me to fight him in Qatar, but I'm not going to take any chances, you know. Have to fight, you know. I'm getting older,” Moicano said in an interview with MMA Junkie. 

The UFC tried to book the much-anticipated rematch twice, but the fight fell through on both occasions. In March 2026, the matchup was scheduled for UFC 326, but Ortega withdrew due to injuries.

When the UFC attempted to book the fight again for UFC 331 in September, Ortega suffered a cut above his left eye, forcing the rematch to fall through once more.

Moicano and Ortega Next Fight

Both contenders have moved in separate ways now. Brian Ortega is set to make his lightweight debut against veteran Dan Hooker at UFC Qatar in November.

Meanwhile, Renato Moicano will headline UFC Fight Night this weekend against Tom Nolan. Moicano is coming off a second-round submission win in April. It is an important bout for him as it will set the momentum for his second shot at the title.