After the madness that was the PFL: Battle of the Giants PPV card earlier in the evening, UFC Vegas 99 was a much tamer offering of MMA fighting, with nine of the 11 fights ending on the judges’ scorecards.
After the gala, only two post-fight bonuses were distributed. Anthony Hernandez earned Performance of the Night honors with a fifth-round knockout in the main event; with two UFC veterans fighting for a $50,000 fight of the night bonus later on the card.
Photo: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Veteran Daniel “The Pit” Pineda announces his departure from the UFC
The main event at UFC Vegas 99 between featherweights Daniel “The Pit” Pineda and Darren “The Damage” Elkins was a brutal and bloody fight that saw both men show off their final corner injuries.
While Elkins ultimately departed with a decision victory, Pineda announced that he would retire from the sport entirely; telling Paul Felder in the Octagon: “Guys, this was my last one-man.
“You know, we’re just a couple of dogs here and this is my third loss in a row, fuck – man, I’m fed up… Thank you to Darren Elkins for a bad fight.”
Pineda may be leaving the UFC under the cloud of a three-fight losing streak, but the 39-year-old can hold his head high as he leaves the UFC while boasting an impressive 100% finish rate.
Since his professional debut in 2007, Pineda has only won fights by stoppage, with 19 career wins by submission and 9 wins by KO/TKO.
The retirement announcement was met with an outpouring of support from Pineda’s global fan base, and fellow UFC star Joshua Van posted a video of the team celebrating with the caption, “Happy retirement coach, Texas Legend! I’m always proud of you.
Former Bellator champion Raufeon Stots would write, “He’s a htown fasho legend,” and 7-1 prospect Dakota Hope also wrote a heartfelt message to his longtime coach via his Instagram page.
“Houston’s best player, Texas legend. People will miss watching you fight in the cage, and so will I, BUT fortunately for me, I can call you my coach. As always, lots of love, brother… Excited for the future.
Pineda has earned one KO/TKO and four submission victories under the UFC banner and finishes his career with a solid record of 28-17.
UFC Vegas 99 Results: The judges had their work cut out at The Apex, making nine decisions
Darren Elkins’ victory over Daniel Pineda was one of nine decisions on the UFC Vegas 99 card; although the card ended on a high note as Anthony Hernandez was able to secure a TKO stoppage late in the fifth and final round.
Full UFC Vegas 99 results include.
- Anthony Hernandez def. Michel Pereira by TKO, round five
- Rob Font def. Kyler Phillips via unanimous decision
- Charles Johnson def. Sumudaerji by unanimous decision
- Cameron Smotherman def. Jake Hadley via unanimous decision
- Darren Elkins def. Daniel Pineda via unanimous decision
- Asu Almabayev def. Matheus Nicolau via unanimous decision
- Jean Matsumoto def. Brad Katon via unanimous decision
- Joselyne Edwards def. Tamires Vidal via submission in the third round
- Elise Reed def. Jessica Penna via unanimous decision
- Melissa Martinez def. Alice Ardelean via unanimous decision
- Austen Lane def. Robelis Despaigne via unanimous decision
Next on the promotion’s calendar is UFC 308: Topuria vs Holloway, which will take place on October 26 in Abu Dhabi.
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