Fan-friendly MMA veteran Daniel Pineda has called it a career.
The 39-year-old Texas-based featherweight announced the end of his time as an MMA athlete following a “Fight of the Night” loss to Darren Elkins as part of a UFC card on Saturday evening.
After a bloody and damaging three-round brawl, Pineda wasn’t favored on scorecards against Elkins. The defeat moved him to three consecutive losses and made him decide to close the book on his time as a fighter.
“That was my last one, man,” Pineda said in the cage following his loss to Elkins. “We’re some dogs in here. This was my third straight [loss]. F*** it, dude. I’m done. Thank you Darren Elkins for this bada** fight.”
Pineda made his MMA debut back in 2007, fighting around his home state as he built up his record. Among early appearances included bouts in Bellator and EliteXC.
The first few years of his career included dramatic ups and downs. At one point in 2009, Pineda went on a four-fight losing streak, including a defeat against soon-to-be UFC talent Chas Skelly. After piecing together a run of five wins, he signed onto the UFC roster by 2012.
While his initial run as a UFC talent saw him dazzle with quick submission wins – including a 95-second kimura victory against Justin Lawrence – he parted ways with the promotion in 2014 after losing four of his last five bouts.
Pineda bounced around the MMA world for years following his departure from the UFC. He appeared three more times in Bellator, briefly held a title in Fury FC, and competed as part of PFL’s 2019 season.
In 2020, a substantial six years after his first UFC run came to an end, Pineda rejoined the top MMA brand. He met many fellow veteran talents as part of his second act in the promotion, including Cub Swanson and Alex Caceres. While only winning in just two of his seven appearances, four performance bonuses indicated that he remained an action-packed competitor up until his very last bout.
All 28 of Pineda’s pro wins came via stoppage, with 19 via submission and nine emerging in a TKO/KO result. While he never appeared in some of the sport’s bigger opportunities, he walks away with the reputation of being a must-see fighter who had impressive career longevity.
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