Renato Moicano Will Not Receive New Opponent But Will Serve as Backup at UFC 231

Renato Moicano will no longer compete at UFC 231 in Toronto but he will still be in Canada to serve as the backup to the main event between Max Holloway and Brian Ortega.

UFC officials announced on Wednesday that Moicano won’t receive a replacement opponent after Mirsad Bektic suffered an injury in training that forced him out of their scheduled bout on Dec. 8.

Despite no longer competing on the card, Moicano will still show up in Toronto, go through his weight cut and get ready to fight just in case he’s needed in the main event.

In many recent title fights, the UFC has either scheduled another bout in the same weight class or just employed a potential replacement in case something should happen to either of the headliners that would prevent them from competing.

At UFC 231 there is also a women’s flyweight title fight between Valentina Shevchenko and Joanna Jedrzejczyk with another 125-pound matchup between Katlyn Chookagian and Jessica Eye on the undercard.

Moicano will now serve in the back up role just in case Holloway or Ortega are unable to fight on Dec. 8 in Toronto.