A pair of featherweights who missed all of 2022 will make their respective returns in a featherweight match-up freshly added to UFC San Antonio.
Tucker Lutz (12-2) and Daniel Pineda (27-14, 3NC) will face off in a 145lb fight in San Antonio on March 25, 2023.
Cageside Press confirmed the booking with a source familiar with the situation, following an initial report by MMA Junkie.
Lutz suffered just the second loss of his professional career against Pat Sabatini at UFC Vegas 43 in November of 2021, snapping a 12-fight win streak in the process. Following a loss in his pro debut in 2015, Lutz embarked on his impressive unbeaten streak the following year, picking up wins over Chase Gibson and Sherrard Blackledge in back-to-back fights on Dana White’s Contender Series that finally landed him in the UFC.
In his promotional debut, Lutz defeated Kevin Aguilar at UFC 262 in May 2021.
Pineda hit considerable heights as part of the PFL during their 2019 season, winning two fights in a night to secure a spot in the featherweight finals that year. The Texas native’s elation was quickly halted when a positive drug test saw both of those wins overturned to No Contests, however, with his chance at a million dollars also evaporating.
Pineda debuted for the UFC the following year, going 1-1 with another No Contest in his most recent fight, due to a Andre Fili eye poke that rendered Pineda unable to continue. That came in June of 2021; like Lutz, Pineda missed all of 2022.
UFC San Antonio will take place at the AT&T Center on March 25, 2023, airing on ESPN in the U.S. While no main event has been announced, the following match-ups have been reported for the card to date:
- Maycee Barber vs. Andrea Lee
- Chidi Njokuani vs. Albert Duraev
- C.J. Vergara vs. Daniel da Silva
- Holly Holm vs. Yana Kunitskaya
- Alex Perez vs. Manel Kape
- Sean Brady vs. Michel Pereira
- Daniel Pineda vs. Tucker Lutz
