Daniel Pineda Record: 28-17-0

First UFC run

Pineda made his Octagon debut a memorable one, submitting the previously unbeaten Pat Schilling by first-round rear-naked choke at UFC on FX 1 in January 2012, then following up with a slick first-round triangle-armbar of Mackens Semerzier that March. The competition stiffened quickly: he dropped a decision to former WEC champion Mike Brown in May 2012 and was stopped by strikes against Antonio Carvalho that July. He rebounded with a first-round kimura of Justin Lawrence at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale in 2013, but decision losses to Robert Whiteford and others eventually sent him back to the regional scene.

Regional resurgence and return

Back on the independent circuit, Pineda reaffirmed his finishing pedigree, submitting veteran Leonard Garcia by kimura in 2014 and tapping Jonny Carson with another kimura in 2015. His 2019 PFL bout against Jeremy Kennedy was overturned to a no contest, but he earned his way back to the UFC and delivered one of the most striking moments of his career in August 2020, finishing Herbert Burns with elbows from the crucifix at UFC 252.

Veteran chapter

The back half of his run reflected the grind of a long career. He was stopped by a right cross from Cub Swanson at UFC 256 in December 2020, then saw a 2021 bout with Andre Fili ruled a no contest. He also stepped onto the grappling mat at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 1 in late 2021, drawing with both Grant Dawson and Davi Ramos. Pineda picked up a second-round guillotine of Tucker Lutz in March 2023, but closed out this stretch with unanimous-decision losses to Alex Caceres in 2023, Nathaniel Wood at UFC 304 in 2024, and Darren Elkins later that year.

Fighting style

Pineda is one of the purest finishers in the featherweight division's recent history: every one of his 28 career wins has come by stoppage, with 19 by submission and nine by knockout or TKO – a 100 percent finish rate on the win side of his ledger. His jiu-jitsu is the engine, with a deep arsenal of chokes, kimuras and triangles that he chains together aggressively, and he can crack with strikes when a fight stays on the feet. The trade-off in that all-or-nothing style is consistency – his losses have piled up by decision and by knockout against sharper or more well-rounded opponents – but few fighters at 145 pounds have been as relentlessly dangerous when the fight hits the mat.

Career highlights

• Perfect finishing record on wins — all 28 of his career victories have come by submission or knockout, a 100 percent finish rate.
• Memorable UFC return — finished Herbert Burns with elbows from the crucifix at UFC 252, a highlight-reel sequence.
• Submission specialist and gym owner — a BJJ black belt with 19 career submission wins who owns and coaches at Houston's 4oz Fight Club.