UFC announces slew of fights for UFC 326, including Brian Ortega’s lightweight debut

UFC 326 adds three more marquee matchups for the March event.

Brian Ortega

UFC 326 is starting to take shape.

UFC 326 takes place in March and will be headlined by a “BMF” title fight between Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira. On Saturday, the UFC announced several more marquee matchups that will serve as support for the main event.

Brian Ortega will make his long-anticipated move to the lightweight division and immediately gets a top 10 opponent as he faces former lightweight title challenger Renato Moicano. Ortega is a two-time featherweight title challenger, but has struggled to make 145 pounds recently. He lost a unanimous decision to Aljamain Sterling at UFC Shanghai in his most recent bout.

Moicano had a similarly tough 2025, losing a short-notice lightweight title fight to Islam Makhachev in January, and then dropping a unanimous decision to Beneil Dariush at UFC 317 in June.

Former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt returns to action against Road to UFC Season 2 runner-up Xiao Long in a 135-pound bout. Garbrandt is riding a two-fight losing streak entering the contest, dropping a unanimous decision to Raoni Barcelos at UFC Atlanta in his most recent bout. Xiao is also coming off a loss, dropping a decision to Su Young You at UFC Shanghai in August.

A pair of middleweight bouts were also announced for the event, a previously reported top 10 middleweight matchup between Reinier de Ridder and Caio Borralho, and a fight between former title challenger Paulo Costa and surging contender Bruno Ferreira. Costa recently won a unanimous decision over Roman Kopylov at UFC 318, while Ferreira enters the contest on a three-fight winning streak, having beaten Marvin Vettori at UFC 323.

UFC 326 takes place on March 7 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Category: General Sports