UFC featherweight Daniel Pineda is making a fairly quick return to face Alex Caceres at UFC Vegas 74.
After missing nearly two years of MMA action due to focusing on grappling along with fights falling through, Pineda returned to action this past March with a second-round submission of Tucker Lutz at UFC Fight Night: Vera vs. Sandhagen.
According to Pineda, the win over Lutz couldn’t have come together more perfectly than if it was predestined to.
“That fight had a perfect camp, perfect timing, and you could tell with the way I fought it was a perfect camp,” Pineda told MMAWeekly.com.
“I didn’t think he was going to be as strong; he came out a lot stronger than I thought; he came out pushing forward, so I wasn’t expecting all that, but that’s the kind of fight I like. It was the perfect fight because I did my game plan, so it backfired on him.”
When it comes to the 2023 version of himself, Pineda feels like the biggest difference between who he is as a fighter today and who he was is the fact that he’s more capable of pushing fights into later rounds than he was before.
“I’m doing the stuff that I didn’t like to do when I was younger,” said Pineda. “I’m getting my cardio up, and I feel like if it does go three rounds I will be good in a three-round fight.
“Back in the day, I only had one or two rounds in me, so that’s why I went out and tried to finish everybody. Now I’ve been doing a lot of cardio and I’m ready for three rounds; so if I don’t finish it, I’m ready for three rounds.”
Tim Elliott admits he still loves cheating ex-wife Gina Mazany
Daniel Pineda faces Alex Caceres at UFC Vegas 74
This Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada, Pineda (28-14) is seeking his second straight win when he faces Alex Caceres (20-13) in the 145lb co-main event of UFC Fight Night: Kara-France vs. Albazi.
“I just to push forward on him, bob and weave, not get hit by one of his strikes, and bully him into a corner – that’s the whole goal right there,” Pineda said of facing Caceres.
For Pineda, his focus is on each fight he has in front of him before thinking about the overarching plans for the remainder of 2023.
“I go one fight at a time,” said Pineda. “I took the Tucker fight then they hit me up a little sooner than I expected for this one, but it was perfect timing. I was getting out of a camp, had a fight then got right back into it. He’s a tough opponent and a veteran of the sport, so it’s a perfect fight.”
Daniel Pineda intends to bully Alex Caceres at UFC Vegas 74
