Daniel Pineda (fighter)

Daniel Pineda (born August 6, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2007, he has also competed for the Professional Fighters League, Bellator, and EliteXC.

Background
Born in Dallas and raised in Waller, Texas, Pineda wrestled in high school for three years before he began training in mixed martial arts at 21.

Legacy Fighting Championship
Pineda was the Featherweight Champion of Legacy Fighting Championship. None of his fights with Legacy went to decision with notable wins over fighters such as WEC veteran Frank Gomez. Pineda's fights with Legacy Fighting Championships were always exciting and his last fight with Legacy Fighting Championships before he went to the UFC ended in a TKO by spinning backfist at Legacy Fighting Championships 9.

Ultimate Fighting Championship
In early January 2012, it was announced that Pineda had been signed to the UFC.

He made his debut on January 20, 2012, at UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller against fellow UFC newcomer Pat Schilling. Pineda won the fight via submission in the first round.

Pineda faced Mackens Semerzier on March 3, 2012, at UFC on FX 2, replacing an injured Robbie Peralta. He won the fight via triangle armbar in the first round.

Pineda faced Mike Brown on May 26, 2012, at UFC 146. Pineda lost the bout via unanimous decision.

Pineda faced Antonio Carvalho on July 21, 2012, at UFC 149, replacing an injured George Roop. Pineda lost the fight after he was knocked out for the first time in his professional MMA career.

Pineda returned after a layoff to face Justin Lawrence on April 13, 2013, at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale. Pineda won the fight via submission in the first round, earning Submission of the Night honors for his performance.

Pineda faced Diego Brandão on August 17, 2013, at UFC Fight Night 26 He lost the back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision.

Pineda faced Robert Whiteford on March 15, 2014, at UFC 171. He lost the fight via unanimous decision, and was subsequently released from the UFC.

Return to Legacy FC
Following his UFC release, Pineda re-signed with Legacy Fighting Championships in July 2014.

Pineda faced Leonard Garcia at Legacy FC 37 on November 14, 2014. He won the fight via submission in the first round.

Pineda next faced Thomas Webb at Legacy FC 39 on February 28, 2015. He won the fight via submission early in the first round.

Return to Bellator MMA
After nearly a six-year absence, Pineda returned to the Bellator MMA promotion in 2016. He faced Emmanuel Sanchez on the main card at Bellator 149 on February 19, 2016. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Pineda faced Mark Dickman at Bellator 161 on September 16, 2016. He won the fight via submission in the third round.

Pineda faced Georgi Karakhanyan at Bellator 182 on August 25, 2017. He lost the fight via doctor stoppage in the second round due to a cut.

Professional Fighters League
Pineda joined Professional Fighters League (PFL) in 2019 and fought Movlid Khaybulaev and Jeremy Kennedy at PFL. He won both of the bouts on the same night; however it was ruled no contest after Pineda failed a drug test and was subsequently suspended and fined $12,500 by NAC.

Return to the UFC
Pineda re-signed with UFC in June 2020.

Pineda faced Herbert Burns on August 15, 2020, at UFC 252. He won the fight via technical knockout in round two. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Pineda faced Cub Swanson on December 12, 2020, at UFC 256. He lost the fight via knockout in the second round.

Pineda faced Andre Fili on June 26, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 190. Early in round two, Pineda was accidentally poked in the eye and was deemed unable to continue. The fight was declared a no contest.

A urine sample Pineda produced on fight night tested positive for amphetamine, a banned substance under the NAC rules. As a result, Pineda was handed a nine-month suspension in September 2021, retroactive to the positive test. He was also fined a total of $2,554.38, accounting for the violation and subsequent legal fees.

Pineda was scheduled to face Jamall Emmers on May 14, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 36. However, the bout was scrapped in late April due to unknown reasons.

Pineda faced Tucker Lutz on March 25, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 43. He won the fight via a guillotine choke submission in the second round. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Pineda faced Alex Caceres on June 3, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 46. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. The win earned Pineda his first Fight of the Night bonus award.

Pineda was scheduled to face Khusein Askhabov on October 7, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 229. However on September 11, Askhabov has been arrested after being connected to the kidnap and torture in Thailand and the bout was cancelled.

Pineda is scheduled to face Nathaniel Wood on July 27, 2024, at UFC 304.

Personal life
Pineda and his wife have a daughter born in 2020.

Mixed martial arts

 * Ultimate Fighting Championship
 * Submission of the Night (One time) vs. Justin Lawrence
 * Performance of the Night (Two times) vs. Herbert Burns and Tucker Lutz.
 * Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Alex Caceres
 * Tied (Chas Skelly, Makwan Amirkhani & Brian Ortega) for second most submissions in UFC Featherweight division history (4)
 * Legacy Fighting Championship
 * Legacy FC Featherweight Championship (One time)
 * Two successful title defenses
 * Fury FC
 * Fury FC Interim Featherweight Championship (One time)
 * Fury FC Lightweight Championship (One time)
 * Katana Cagefighting
 * KC Featherweight Championship (One time)