Daniel Pineda making the most of his second UFC run, proving the naysayers wrong
Looking back on his Aug. 15 second-round TKO stoppage of Herbert Burns at UFC 252, featherweight Daniel Pineda feels a sense of vindication in being able to do something many questioned he had the ability to do.
In specific, few believed Pineda could hang on the ground with someone of Burns’ caliber, but it is on the ground where the fight ended in Pineda’s favor.
“I think I proved a lot of people wrong,” Pineda told MMAWeekly.com. “I feel good, I feel really good, and I proved a lot of people wrong.
“The whole goal was to show everybody I could keep up with a world class Jiu-Jitsu guy on the ground. Even though I wanted to take it to the ground in the second round, it actually went to the ground in the first round. It’s good to just be proving everybody wrong.”
While Pineda enjoyed what happened in the Octagon at UFC 252, all the things surrounding the event involving coronavirus precaution was a bit of an adjustment for him.
“It was weird,” said Pineda. “Getting tested so many times, being under quarantine, being stuck in a room, wearing a mask a whole time, not having fans, all of that sucks.
“The fans really help you out a lot; not that I didn’t have fans in the stands, I want to get back to when we have fans in the stands.”
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Now that he’s back in the UFC for the first time since 2014, Pineda wants to make sure he remains with the promotion for the long haul, and is eager to continue his path with the company in 2020.
“It’s hard to make it to the UFC, and you hear it’s hard to stay in. Yes, it’s very hard, but it’s hard to make it back in after you’ve been cut,” Pineda said. “I feel really good, I feel accomplished, now I’ve just got to stay in there, work hard, and get to the top.
“I’ve got to wait until this eye heals up. I got 18 stitches on this eye. But yeah, I would like to get one more fight before the end of the year. It doesn’t matter against who, just somebody that’s going to help me climb that ladder.”
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Daniel Pineda making the most of his second UFC run, proving the naysayers wrong
