NAC delays Daniel Pineda hearing until next month; four other fighters face sanctions

PFL dark horse Daniel Pineda won’t compete on New Year’s Eve after all.

The former UFC fighter’s improbable run in the 2019 PFL featherweight playoffs was one of the main storylines leading into the finals on Dec. 31 in New York.

However on Nov. 14, MMA Junkie learned Pineda had failed a drug test. The positive result, stemming from an Oct. 17 test, means he is out of his $1M championship fight with Lance Palmer. Palmer will instead face alternate Alex Gilpin, per sources with knowledge of the situation.

In a post on social media, Pineda denied having taken any “steroids” and indicated sex pills may have been the culprit.

Furthermore, Pineda’s manager, Jason House, issued the following statement to MMA Junkie:

“Right now we’re in the process of researching what could have led to a positive test. We plan on appealing the decision once all information is gathered.”

On Wednesday, the Nevada Athletic Commission held their monthly meeting and Pineda’s case was one of the topics on the agenda.

Initially, Pineda’s representative was eager to plead his case to the commission. However before he could get started, the NAC informed him by doing so, he’d forfeit his ability to reach a settlement, something Pineda’s team also seemingly wanted to do.

After a 15-minute intermission, Pineda’s representative elected not to argue his case before the commission Wednesday. Instead, the hearing was tabled until the NAC’s next meeting in January.

Pineda wasn’t the only PFL fighter who had a hearing Wednesday. Light heavyweight Alex Nicholson was suspended four years and fined over $15,000 for testing positive for three anabolic steroids, stemming from an Oct. 31 test.

Additionally, former UFC fighter and TUF 13 runner-up Ramsey Nijem was suspended nine months and fined 15 percent of his purse ($3,750),as a result of a positive test for marijuana metabolites. Nijem didn’t respond to the NAC’s inquiries regarding the test.

Luiz Rafael Laurentino was suspended 12 months, as a result of a positive test for stanozolol, an androgenic anabolic steroid. The Brazilian was also fined 20 percent of his purse ($5,000) and will have to pay an additional $363.40 in prosecution fees. Laurentino didn’t respond to the NAC’s inquiries regarding the test.

Former TUF Brazil competitor and UFC fighter Glaico Franca also went before the commission. Like Pineda, Franca’s temporary suspension was extended and his hearing was tabled until January.