Brian Ortega vs. Renato Moicano Booked for UFC 326 On March 7
The UFC announced a slew of fights for UFC 326, set for March 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with Max Holloway defending the BMF title against Charles Oliveira headlining the card. Alongside the main event, the promotion revealed several secondary matchups that will fill out what’s shaping up as a strong card.
Brian Ortega vs. Renato Moicano Added to UFC 326
Brian Ortega is making his highly anticipated move to lightweight, where he’ll face Renato Moicano in a rematch of their 2017 UFC 214 encounter. Ortega, a former two-time featherweight title challenger, has struggled to maintain the 145-pound weight limit in recent outings, with his last fight moved to a 153-pound catchweight after he experienced severe cutting issues.
The 34-year-old dropped a unanimous decision to Aljamain Sterling at UFC Shanghai in August and hasn’t recorded a victory since submitting Yair Rodriguez in February 2024. Moicano, the 36-year-old Brazilian ranked 10th in the lightweight division, arrives coming off back-to-back losses. He challenged Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title at UFC 311 in January, only to submit to a D’arce choke in the opening round.
His subsequent bout against Beneil Dariush at UFC 317 in June resulted in a unanimous decision loss. Their first meeting at UFC 214 ended with Ortega securing a guillotine choke submission in the third round—a performance that earned Fight of the Night honours. Moicano has since moved to the United States and built a reputation as one of the division’s submission threats, holding four rear-naked choke victories.
Two middleweight contests anchor the card’s upper tier. Caio Borralho, ranked 7th, faces former two-division ONE Championship titleholder Reinier de Ridder in a bout carrying significant title picture implications. Borralho’s seven-fight UFC winning streak ended with a split decision loss to Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Paris in September 2025.
The 32-year-old Brazilian, who earned victories over Jared Cannonier and Paul Craig before the loss, arrives as one of the division’s most well-rounded strikers, mixing boxing, wrestling, and grappling. De Ridder, ranking ninth at middleweight, also carries momentum from a recent setback.
The 34-year-old quickly ascended the rankings after four consecutive victories upon joining the UFC in late 2024, including finishes over Gerald Meerschaert, Kevin Holland, and Bo Nickal, plus a split decision win over Robert Whittaker. His loss came via submission when Brendan Allen forced de Ridder’s corner to throw in the towel between rounds four and five at UFC Vancouver in October.
Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt returns to face Xiao Long in a 135-pound bout. Garbrandt, 34, looks to snap a two-fight losing streak after dropping decisions to Deiveson Figueiredo and Raoni Barcelos. His trajectory has sharply declined since capturing the bantamweight title at UFC 207 with a dominant performance against Dominick Cruz in 2016.
That victory marked the high point of his career, since then, he’s compiled a 3-7 record over his past ten fights. His move to flyweight and subsequent return to bantamweight hasn’t stabilized his standing in the division. Xiao Long, a 27-year-old from China who earned his UFC contract through impressive performances on Road to UFC in 2023, holds a 1-2 promotional record. He won his debut by submission against Chang Ho Lee but has since dropped decisions to Su Young You and suffered a split decision loss to Chang Ho Lee.
Xiao carries 14 career stoppages on his resume, suggesting finishing capability, though consistency has proven elusive. For Garbrandt, this represents a must-win situation. Another defeat likely closes the door on any realistic bantamweight title aspirations, making the matchup a career crossroads of sorts.
