Brian Ortega is hurt – in more ways than one.
Hours after the promotion announced his withdrawal from UFC 331, Ortega (16-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) shed light on why he pulled out of his scheduled main card bout vs. Renato Moicano just five days prior to Saturday's event at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
As speculated, Ortega suffered a nasty gash over his right eye in training, requiring stitches and resulting in significant swelling. Ortega shares photos of the injury, as well as video from the aftermath of it happening in training.
"This one hurts," Ortega wrote on Instagram. "I have to pull out of the fight because of the stitches in my eye. 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.
I was really looking forward to fighting at home in Los Angeles in front of my family, friends, and everyone who’s been supporting me.
"My next fight is in soon, so I’m getting right back to training. We’ve brought some new people into camp and I’m excited to show you guys a new side of me. Thank you to everyone who’s been supporting me through all of this. I’ll see you guys in November."
Rumors of Ortega's injury began to swirl Monday morning after Christian rapper Lecrae posted a video of a swollen-looking Ortega eating at a restaurant with a bandage on his face.
It's unclear when exactly that next fight will be. Moicano (21-7-1 MMA, 13-7 UFC) has been rebooked to compete in an Oct. 31 main event vs. Tom Nolan (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC).
Ortega, 35, has had an injury-prone tenure in the UFC. The withdrawal is the second time this year that he's pulled out of a fight vs. Moicano. The first was ahead of a scheduled March bout. Both withdrawals came after Ortega shifted to lightweight, as a result of coming in heavy for an August clash vs. Aljamain Sterling in August 2025.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Brian Ortega releases UFC 331 withdrawal statement, shares injury: 'This one hurts'
