Daniel Pineda ‘ain’t no punk’ after huge upset in UFC return
Daniel Pineda put all the UFC featherweights on notice following his performance Saturday on the main card at UFC 252 in Las Vegas.
Pineda defeated Gilbert Burns’ brother Herbert Burns with a second-round TKO. The interesting story behind Pineda is he had already competed inside the UFC back in March of 2014. Following a seven years hiatus, Pineda gets his first win in the UFC in more than seven years.
Check out the stats below.
Result: Daniel Pineda def. Herbert Burns via TKO (elbows) – Round 2, 4:37
Updated records: Pineda (27-13 MMA, 4-4 UFC), Burns (11-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC)
Key stat: At +230, Pineda was the third biggest underdog on the card.
COMING UP BIG! 👏@DanielPitPineda returned to the Octagon STRONG! #UFC252 pic.twitter.com/oNi1dLrlPy
— UFC (@ufc) August 16, 2020
Pineda on the keys to victory
“He’s good. He’s really strong. He took my back quick. I ain’t no punk on the ground. He was strong. He was strong – I just had to stay calm and I did my thing.”
Pineda on pulling off the biggest upset on the card
“It feels good. It feels really good, especially being the underdog. Everybody always (is) counting me out. They just don’t know that I’m a dog. … I made a big statement – for all them haters out there too. I’m here. We’re here. He’s a good fighter. I think he’s going to make it somewhere. I’m just going to be a little more on top now.”
Pineda on his next opponent
“Whoever they put in front of me, as soon as this cut heals up, I’m going to try and get a camp, a full camp – not no freaking two weeks, and get it going, get better cardio.”
To hear more from Pineda, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
Pineda had a tough go these past few years. He was making a run in the PFL which ended in a frug test failure and subsequent suspension. Pineda reached the finals of a $1 million featherweight tournament before being flagged for having an elevated testosterone-epitestosterone ratio in his system.
Pineda admitted fault and was fined by the Nevada Athletic Commission. He was removed from the $1 million dollar fight.
In between his time away from the UFC he competed for Legacy FC, LFA, and Bellator. After winning the FCfeatherweight title, Pineda had three fights in Bellator before being singed with the UFC.
