The UFC announced a slate of fights for UFC 326, scheduled for March 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with Max Holloway defending the BMF title against Charles Oliveira as the headliner. In addition to the main event, the promotion revealed several secondary matchups that will make up a strong card.
Brian Ortega vs. Renato Moicano added to UFC 326
Brian Ortega makes his long-awaited move to lightweight, where he will face Renato Moicano in a rematch of their 2017 UFC 214 encounter. Ortega, a former two-time featherweight titlist challengerhas struggled to maintain the 145-pound weight limit in recent outings, with his last fight being moved to a catchweight of 153 pounds after experiencing serious cutting problems.
The 34-year-old dropped a unanimous decision to Aljamain Sterling at UFC Shanghai in August and is without a win since submitting Yair Rodriguez in February 2024. Moicano, the 36-year-old Brazilian ranked 10th in the lightweight division, arrives after back-to-back losses. He challenged Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title at UFC 311 in January, but suffered a D’arce choke in the opening round.
His subsequent fight 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 honors. Moicano has since moved to the United States and has built a reputation as one of the division’s submission threats, with four rearguard victories.
Two middleweight bouts anchor the top tier of the card. Seventh-ranked Caio Borralho will take on former two-division ONE Championship titleholder Reinier de Ridder in a fight with significant title 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 had victories over Jared Cannonier and Paul Craig before the loss, is emerging as one of the division’s most versatile strikers, combining boxing, grappling and grappling. De Ridder, who is ranked ninth at middleweight, is also benefiting from a recent setback.
The 34-year-old quickly rose up the rankings after four consecutive victories when he joined 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 by submission when Brendan Allen forced De Ridder’s corner to throw in the towel between the fourth and fifth rounds at UFC Vancouver in October.
Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt returns to take on Xiao Long in a 135-pound bout. Garbrandt, 34, appears to be on a two-fight losing streak after dropping decisions to Deiveson Figueiredo and Raoni Barcelos. His trajectory has fallen sharply since he captured the bantamweight title at UFC 207 with a dominant performance against Dominick Cruz in 2016.
That win marked the pinnacle of his career, and he has since compiled a record of 3-7 over his past ten fights. His move to flyweight and subsequent return to bantamweight have not stabilized his position in the division. Xiao Long, a 27-year-old from China who earned his UFC contract with an impressive performance on Road to UFC in 2023, has 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 has 14 career stops on his CV, which suggests good finishing, although consistency has proven elusive. For Garbrandt, this is a must-win situation. Another defeat likely closes the door on any realistic aspirations for the bantamweight title, turning the match into something of a career crossroads.
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