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Brian Ortega went to great lengths to compete at UFC 331, but ultimately knew he wouldn't receive medical clearance.
Ortega was scheduled for a rematch against Renato Moicano on the main card of Saturday's event at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. However, he was forced to withdraw after sustaining a cut above his left eye that required multiple stitches.
The former title challenger, who hasn't competed since his loss to Aljamain Sterling last August, issued an apology to his fans.
"To all of you saying I pulled out because I'm scared or ducking the fight, you are dumb people among dumb people," Ortega stated on his Instagram. "I'm telling you straight up. I'm not even going to sugarcoat it, you are complete idiots. For those of you who are angry because I pulled out, and genuinely want to watch me fight, and are upset with the situation, I apologize to you. I apologize from the bottom of my heart. This isn't cool. I didn't expect it to happen. There have been situations where I've hidden things like this and still gone out to fight to put on a show for you, because you deserve it. You deserve to see me show up in Los Angeles, fight in front of my hometown, and put on a great show with a good opponent. But what happened, I just can't hide it."
"Today I had to go through the commission, and I would have had to hide this from them, and that's just not possible. I can't wear glasses while being examined, I can't hide. There's no makeup that can cover how swollen my eye is. And to you guys, I apologize. I sincerely apologize. Putting my feelings aside, I know what I've sacrificed, I know what all of this means to me. But ultimately, I have this job because of you. People watch because I show up and give my all for you, and what happened just isn't right. I'm truly sorry. When you talk trash, I'll take it. I'll just take it. You have rightfully earned that anger towards me. I hope you can forgive me and find it in your heart to say, 'Hey, this isn't what he wanted to happen.' And all I can do is go into a new training camp, sacrifice more time, put in more effort, and train smarter."
Ortega revealed the exact cause of the cut.
"It was a freak accident that happened during jiu-jitsu training," he explained. "I wasn't sparring, it was jiu-jitsu. We were going over the final details, the final tactical plans. Just a last sweat, and this damn headbutt happened. They initially said it was a small cut. I was happy, but when we realized how many stitches were needed, how big it was, and what it had done, there's just no way to hide it. I tried, I wanted to."
"Everyone on my team told me it would be stupid to go out there. I still wanted to go out and say 'screw it,' but the California commission... I just wouldn't pass. I can't show up like this. All I can say is thank you for still supporting me. And for those of you who are angry with me, I hope to win back your love with the next fight and show you who I really am and get back to what I do. I love you guys, and I'm sorry."
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