"Veterans making blood sacrifices" - MMA stars react to "dog fight" at UFC Vegas 99 as Darren Elkins and Daniel Pineda leave it all inside the cage

MMA stars react to Darren Elkins
MMA stars react to Darren Elkins' (right) win against Daniel Pineda (left). [Image courtesy: @ufcespanol on Instagram]

The fight between Darren Elkins and Daniel Pineda at UFC Vegas 99 has drawn attention from the entire mixed martial arts community. Pineda and Elkins are receiving applause for giving their best inside the octagon.

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Elkins kicked off the main card in a featherweight showdown at UFC Vegas 99, which is currently taking place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. He entered the bout with a submission win against TJ Brown at UFC Vegas 81 last year. Meanwhile, in his last octagon outing at UFC 304, Pineda squared off against Nathaniel Wood and suffered a unanimous decision loss.

The fight started on an explosive note, with Elkins unleashing a massive overhand on his opponent in Round 1. However, Pineda delivered a spinning back kick that briefly halted 'The Damage'. In the final seconds of the round, 'The Pit' delivered some devastating elbows on Elkins.

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Pineda looked more battered than the other, but both were covered in blood going into the second round. Elkins gave his opponent a series of forceful ground and pound blows to finish the round. In the third round, the 40-year-old proved to be the better fighter, securing a takedown and delivering quick strikes while holding the 39-year-old against the cage. After three rounds of intense action, Elkins got his hand raised via unanimous decision.

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Following the fight, many MMA personalities took to X and shared their reactions.

Welterweight champion Belal Muhammad praised Elkins, writing:

''The damage does it again''

Former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling wrote:

''Is there a more fitting name for a fighter than “The Damage!”? What a scrap!''

MMA journalist Alex Behunin commended Elkins and Pineda, writing:

''Elkins and Pineda are putting on a Fight of the Year contender. Complete dog fight''
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Andre Fili wrote:

''Grizzled veterans making blood sacrifices to the gods of violence.''

Check out more reactions below:

Screenshot of MMA stars reactions to Darren Elkins vs. Daniel Pineda fight
Screenshot of MMA stars reactions to Darren Elkins vs. Daniel Pineda fight

Following the loss, Pineda announced his retirement from the sport, saying (via Sportsnet on X):

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"That was my last one."

Check out Daniel Pineda's comments below:

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Edited by Jigyanshushri Mahanta
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