Daniel Pineda and Alex Caceres squared off in a Featherweight contest earlier tonight (Sat., June 3, 2023) at UFC Vegas 74 inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Pineda ripped an early low kick but wound up on bottom after a botched takedown attempt. He was able to work up quickly and went back to chopping the leg, but once more, a bad takedown attempt landed him on his butt. From his back, Pineda threw up a lot of submission attempts before standing up.
Pineda was surprisingly relentless with his takedown attempts, which landed him on bottom a third time just three minutes into the fight! Caceres was able to drop some big shots for the first time, but he was nearly tapped by an armbar moments later. Chaotic fight! Back on their feet, Caceres ripped an uppercut to the mid-section then did some damage in the clinch. A Caceres left hand stunned the Texan, but Pineda survived the insane opening round.
A wild exchange began the second, and Pineda parlayed the madness into a takedown. He couldn’t keep the lanky Caceres down, however. When the two separated, Pineda looked massively fatigued but still managed to score a takedown. Pineda advanced passed the guard and took the back briefly, then landed in mount after a scramble. He landed a few elbows, but Caceres was able to work back to guard and avoid the submission in a more controlled second round from each athlete.
A Caceres body kick opened the final round and badly hurt Pineda. “The Pit” managed to remain standing, but he wasn’t throwing much back in the face of Caceres’ offense. Another body shot took Pineda’s breath away, but he was able to walk forward in the face of that adversity and keep throwing. Midway through the round, Pineda was looking the part of a punching bag, badly feeling every body shot that Caceres landed. In the final minute, Caceres snuck behind Pineda and took his back. Pineda escaped with 30 seconds remaining, and he dropped Caceres!
The finish, however, did not materialize. Pineda had never previously won a fight by decision, and that didn’t change last night, as the judges unanimously sided with “Bruce Leeroy” after a clear-cut “Fight of the Night” battle.
Result: Alex Caceres defeats Daniel Pineda via unanimous decision
For complete UFC Vegas 74: “Kara-France vs. Albazi” results and play-by-play, click HERE!