Featherweight action on the UFC Vegas 30 main card on Saturday had Team Alpha Male’s Andre Fili up against PFL vet Daniel Pineda.
Fili, now 30, was 3-2 in his last five to start the night. He’d gone back to the grind, brushing up on his wrestling ahead of the scrap with Pineda. As for Pineda, he was looking to shake off a loss to Cub Swanson.
Fili found success early Saturday night. Just about a minute into the opening round, he threw a right hand that caught Pineda on the side of the head. Pineda was hurt, and the reaction was immediately. Fili moved in to follow up, but somehow Pineda managed to shake it off and regroup. Before long Pineda was pressing “Touchy” Fili into the fence.
Back at range, Fili would land not one, but two head kicks clean, cracking Pineda with a punch in between. The side of Pineda’s head was split open, and he was, again, hurt. Pineda’s leg was also showing damage from an earlier low kick. When Fili connected with a body kick, Pineda went down. Fili followed him, but wound up riding out the clock in guard.
Andre Fili flowing in the first!
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— UFC (@ufc) June 26, 2021
Fili was having a tremendous fight through the first five minutes. Pineda, well, not so much, but he was proving to have one hell of a chin.
The scrappy affair continued in round two, but an eye poke on Pineda halted the action early. Pineda’s left eye was already swelling from a cut. With the doctor taking a closer look, the decision was made to call it — much to Pineda’s disappointment.
Official Result: Andre Fili vs. Daniel Pineda ends in a No Contest (doctor’s stoppage – eye poke), Round 2, 0:46
