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Brian Ortega will no longer be on the UFC 331 card, and he’s taking aim at those who have hurled ducking accusations.

Ortega was scheduled to clash with Renato Moicano on Saturday inside the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. “T-City” revealed on social media that stitches in his eye have forced him off the card. Since making the announcement, Ortega has received flak from some, including Moicano, who has claimed he “chickened out.”

Ortega has heard enough, and he took to his Instagram account to address those who think he purposely bowed out of Saturday’s fight (via MMAJunkie).

“For all of you who are saying that I pulled out because I’m scared, I’m ducking, whatever, you guys are stupid people among stupid people,” Ortega said. “Straight up. I’m not even going to sugarcoat that sh*t, you guys are some dumbasses. For those of you who are mad because I pulled out and you genuinely want to watch me fight, and you’re mad at the situation and you’re mad that this sh*t happened, for you guys I’m sorry. I apologize from the bottom of my heart. I’m sorry. That sh*t ain’t cool. This is not something that I expected to happen. There’s situations where I’ve hid this, and I went out there and fought regardless, and I put on a show for you guys because you guys deserve that. You guys deserve to watch me show up in L.A. and fight in front of my hometown, and put on a great show with a good opponent. And this happening, it’s something that, I just can’t hide this.”

Ortega hasn’t competed since Aug. 2025 when he dropped a unanimous decision to former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling. “T-City” hasn’t earned a win since Feb. 2024, and this latest setback will make his search for a victory even longer.

What do you make of Brian Ortega’s response to the ducking claims? Drop your take in the comments below.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM