It is a battle of unbeaten featherweights on Saturday night at UFC 214 in Anaheim, as Renato Moicano takes on Brian Ortega. Moicano has gone 3-0 in the UFC with victories over Tom Niinimaki, Zubaira Tukhugov and Jeremy Stephens, while Ortega is 3-0 with a no-contest in the UFC. This fight is one of four on the FXX portion of the preliminary card, leading up to a five-fight main card that features Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones. Let’s look at Moicano vs. Ortega and UFC picks.
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Renato Moicano (11-0-1, 3-0 UFC)
It wasn’t that long ago that we saw Moicano in action, as he defeated Jeremy Stephens at UFC on FOX 24 in April by split decision. It was the third straight win for Moicano in the UFC, as he beat Niinimaki in his debut and then got a split decision win against Tukhugov.
Moicano has five wins by submission with his other six wins going to a decision. Moicano said after his win over Stephens that fighting in the UFC is about honor to him. “I'm a martial artist and I want to treat the UFC and MMA as martial arts. I want to show respect. That’s how I live my life. It’s not about making money, it’s about honor.”
Brian Ortega (11-0-1, 3-0-1 UFC)
It has been a while since we saw Ortega in action, as he fought Clay Guida last June and won by knockout. Ortega also has wins in the UFC against Thiago Tavares and Diego Brandao. He also beat Mike De La Torre but that result was turned into a no-contest because Ortega failed a drug test.
Ortega injured his right shoulder last year in training and has been out of action since. He told the L.A. Daily News that he is very happy to be fighting in his home area of southern California. “One was the front yard, now this is the back yard,” Ortega said, “It feels cool. Obviously it’s great to train at home and not have to travel and stay in the same time zone. That’s always great.”
UFC Picks
This is an interesting battle between two unbeaten fighters. Moicano is going to look to get the fight to the mat, while Ortega may prefer to keep it standing. Ortega isn’t a great striker but he still should be able to find some openings against Moicano. This fight should eventually go to the mat, as both have solid wrestling skills. It may turn into a dull affair with each fighter looking to get a submission. I think Moicano may have the slight edge, especially with Ortega being out of action for over a year, but I think the better option is to take this fight over the rounds total of 2.5.
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UFC 214: Cormier vs. Jones 2 is set for Saturday, July 29 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The five-fight main card on pay-per-view features a bout between current light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier and former champion Jon Jones. There are also seven fights on the preliminary card, with four on FXX and three on UFC Fight Pass.
Main Card (Pay-per-View)
Jon Jones -273 vs. Daniel Cormier (rounds 4.5 over -180)
Tyron Woodley -200 vs. Demian Maia (rounds 2.5 under -140)
Cristiane Justino -1227 vs. Tonya Evinger (rounds 1.5 under -275)
Robbie Lawler -160 vs. Donald Cerrone (rounds 2.5 over -118)
Jimi Manuwa -180 vs. Volkan Oezdemir (rounds 1.5 under -160)
Preliminary Card (FXX)
Jason Knight -133 vs. Ricardo Lamas (rounds 2.5 over -190)
Aljamain Sterling -120 vs. Renan Barao (rounds 2.5 over -250)
Renato Moicano -155 vs. Brian Ortega (rounds 2.5 over -275)
Andre Fili -375 vs. Calvin Kattar (rounds 2.5 over -120)
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Alexandra Albu -168 vs. Kaillin Curran (rounds 2.5 over -155)
Jarred Brooks -155 vs. Eric Shelton (rounds 2.5 over -316)
Drew Dober -345 vs. Josh Burkman (rounds 2.5 over -145)
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