Renato Moicano does not understand why the UFC put Brian Ortega in with Dan Hooker, and he is not shy about saying so. According to Sherdog, Moicano called the pairing the worst fight in the UFC, a blunt shot at a matchup he clearly thinks makes little sense for either man.

Part of his frustration traces back to his own history with Ortega. Yahoo Sports MMA reports Moicano tried repeatedly to land a fight with Ortega himself, but eventually decided it was time to move on rather than keep waiting on a bout that never materialized.

That pivot landed him opposite Tom Nolan, and the UFC has now booked Moicano vs Nolan for UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs Nolan on October 31, 2026. Moicano, ranked twelfth at lightweight, is coming off a submission finish of Chris Duncan this past April, choking him out with a rear naked choke in the second round. Nolan, ranked fourteenth in the same division, is unbeaten in his last outing after a unanimous decision win over Fares Ziam in June. The books have this one almost dead even, with Moicano a modest favorite at minus 115 to Nolan's plus 114, and our own model agrees, calling it a true pick'em at fifty fifty.

Ortega, meanwhile, is set to actually fight Hooker on November 21 at UFC Fight Night: Procházka vs Stirling. Ortega sits thirteenth at featherweight, while Hooker is thirteenth at lightweight and coming off a first round knockout loss to Salahdine Parnasse in September. Our model leans toward Hooker there, giving him a fifty nine percent edge. Whatever Moicano thinks of that pairing, it is the fight the promotion wants, and his energy is now squarely pointed at Nolan instead.