SAN ANTONIO – Daniel Pineda beat Tucker Lutz with a second-round submission Saturday to close out the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 43 at AT&T Center in San Antonio.
Take a look inside the fight with Pineda, who returned from a lengthy layoff for his first win since August 2015.
Tucker Lutz vs. Daniel Pineda
Result: Daniel Pineda def. Tucker Lutz via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 2:50
Updated records: Pineda (28-14 MMA, 5-5 UFC) def. Tucker Lutz (12-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC)
Key stat: Pineda has finishes in all 28 of his wins with 19 submissions.
Pineda on the fight's key moment
“I’m happy because I got the finish. I really thought after the first round, I’m like, ‘Oh, sh*t’ – especially when I was taking him down and he got up real quick. I was like, ‘This little b*tch is strong. I was like, all right, I might take a little longer than what I thought.”
Pineda on the fans
“I felt awesome, especially being out here with all these freaking fans. I’m pretty sure it was sold out – it was a sh*tload of people. I loved it. I missed the fans. Fighting with no fans, it’s like might as well go fight on the goddamn street. I mean, at least it’d be done quicker.”
Pineda on what he wants next
“Having all my family and my fans and I just can’t stand that they haven’t put me in Houston. They have so many freaking cards in Houston and they don’t put me on there. That pisses me off. Damn, please. I’m in San Antonio and you heard the crowd. Put me in Houston. Put me and Derrick (Lewis) together on a card in Houston – we’d sell that whole thing out.
“If the money’s right, I’ll keep going. If the money’s not that good, I mean, I’m thinking I’ll probably just hang ’em up. It’s up to my manager and (the UFC) – (we’ll) see how it works. I think it’s time to make some money. I’ve got all these freaking finishes. That was the last fight on my contract, so I need to make some money. If things don’t pan out, yes, (I could leave). ”
To hear more from Pineda, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.
