Renato Moicano Criticizes Brian Ortega vs. Dan Hooker UFC Qatar Booking
Renato Moicano expressed disbelief over the UFC matching Brian Ortega against Dan Hooker, calling the upcoming UFC Qatar clash "the worst fight in the UFC."
· VILLAND PICK editorial
The Ultimate Fighting Championship has finalized a lightweight matchup between Brian Ortega and Dan Hooker for UFC Qatar on Nov. 21 at the ABHA Arena in Doha. The booking marks the lightweight debut for Ortega (16-5, 1 NC), but it has drawn sharp criticism from divisional contender Renato Moicano.
Moicano expressed disbelief over the matchmaking after previously campaigning to face both men. "This is gonna be the worst fight in the UFC," Moicano told Full Send MMA. "I don’t know how the UFC made that fight. But let’s see, let’s wait and see how they do."
Moicano's frustration stems from a series of stalled matchups. His repeated callouts of Hooker (24-15) never materialized into a fight, while a planned rematch against Ortega was canceled twice. Ortega withdrew from their scheduled bout at UFC 326 due to lingering injuries, and after being rebooked for UFC 331 in September, Ortega withdrew again following a severe cut above his eye. Ortega previously defeated Moicano (21-7-1) in 2017, securing a third-round guillotine choke submission in a featherweight encounter.
While Moicano remains open to fighting either Ortega or Hooker in the future, his immediate attention is set on headlining UFC Vegas 123 this Saturday, where he meets Tom Nolan.
Sources
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