UFC Veteran Retires After Fight Of The Night Performance

Seventeen years and 45 professional MMA bouts were enough for Daniel Pineda. The 39-year-old all-action UFC veteran called it a career on Saturday night following his unanimous decision loss to Darren Elkins.

Pineda and Elkins battled in the best fight on the UFC Vegas 99 card at the Apex Arena in Las Vegas, but the former came out on the short end of the stick.

All three judges scored the fight 29-28 in favor of Elkins, as his relentless ground game and some surprising striking were enough for the win. Pineda was busted open above the left eye, but on brand with his usual style, the Dallas native just kept coming. The scrap earned both men a bonus as they were deemed the Fight of the Night on a card with just two stoppages.

The bonus was Pineda’s fifth in his career under the Zuffa banner and his second Fight of the Night bonus. Unfortunately for him, he has lost both times he’s been in a match that won Fight of the Night.

The last time it happened, he lost a unanimous decision to Alex Caceres in June 2023. After the fight, UFC analyst Paul Felder interviewed Elkins and Pineda, with the latter holding his gloves, indicating his intentions to call it a career. Elkins didn’t mention Pineda’s announcement much.

However, a dejected Pineda referenced his current three-fight losing streak and seemed to point to the skid as proof he was done. During Pineda’s MMA career, he compiled a 28-17 mark across several organizations.

He started his career in 2007 on the regional scene in Texas. Pineda got his first break when he fought for Bellator in May 2009 but lost to Roberto Vargas. That defeat began a tough four-fight losing streak. He’d get his next most significant opportunity after stringing together five wins in a row with Legacy FC.

Pineda got the call from the UFC and made his promotional debut in January 2012 when he scored a submission win over Pat Schilling. The UFC released Pineda following back-to-back losses in 2012 and 2013.

He had to fight back through another stint with Legacy FC, Bellator, Fury FC, and the Professional Fighters League before returning to the UFC during the pandemic in August 2020. He wound up finishing his second stint in the UFC with a 2-4 record and one no-contest.

While Pineda wasn’t a great fighter, he rarely had a boring fight. If he’s done, he ends his career as one of his era’s most well-traveled, long-suffering mixed martial artists. Here is a look at all of the results from UFC Vegas 99.

All of the bonus winners are marked with a trophy icon.

• 🏆 – Anthony Hernandez defeats Michel Pereira via fifth-round TKO
• Rob Font defeats Kyler Phillips via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Charles Johnson defeats Sumudaerji via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Cameron Smotherman defeats Jake Hadley via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-27, 29-27)
• 🏆 – Darren Elkins defeats 🏆 – Daniel Pineda via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Asu Almabayev defeats Matheus Nicolau via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Jean Matsumoto defeats Brad Katona via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Joselyne Edwards defeats Tamires Vidal via third-round submission (rear-naked choke)
• Elise Reed defeats Jessica Penne via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Melissa Martinez defeats Alice Ardelean via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Austen Lane defeats Robelis Despaigne via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)