Darren Elkins vs. Daniel Pineda prediction, choose, begin time for UFC Struggle Evening 245

Darren Elkins and Daniel Pineda meet Saturday on the principle card of UFC Struggle Evening 245 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Try this fast breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Final occasion: 3-3
UFC fundamental playing cards, 2024: 87-77-3

Darren Elkins vs. Daniel Pineda UFC Struggle Evening 245 preview

Elkins (28-11 MMA, 18-10 UFC) has traded wins and losses over his final 4 fights, and enters his first battle in a 12 months after a third-round submission win over TJ Brown.  The 40-year-old grizzled veteran final put collectively back-to-back wins when he completed Eduardo Garagorri in November 2020 and Darrick Minner in July 2021. … Pineda (28-16 MMA, 5-7 UFC) has dropped back-to-back fights towards Nathaniel Wooden and Alex Caceres. The 39-year-old’s final victory was a second-round submission of Tucker Lutz final March.

Darren Elkins vs. Daniel Pineda UFC Struggle Evening 245 knowledgeable choose, prediction

Kicking off the principle card is a correct featherweight motion between Elkins and Pineda that might make Joe Silva proud.

Elkins, who jogs my memory of the Matt Damon doll in “Crew America,” is a fan favourite to all for the blood and guts wars he’s graced us with.

And although he’s not as fashionable as a reputation, Pineda deserves related distinctions as a consequence of his fan-friendly model of prioritizing finishes over profitable rounds.

Each males are towards the tail finish of their careers given their age, but every fights with the fervor of a 20-year-old making an attempt to show their manhood.

However that apart, the dynamic of this battle is pretty clear: both Pineda will end his foe early, or Elkins will come on robust to tug issues out late.

Regardless of tending to aspect with the latter a part of that equation, I discover myself liking the Pineda aspect on this spot.

Not solely is Pineda’s hanging too potent to miss reverse an growing old Elkins, however “The Pit” is quietly one of the harmful submission grapplers in that division – so don’t be stunned to see a submission win this Saturday.

The choose is Pineda to attain a club-and-sub win through guillotine in Spherical 2.

Darren Elkins vs. Daniel Pineda UFC Struggle Evening 245 odds

Though the oddsmakers opened the marginally youthful fighter as a slight favourite, public cash pushed this contest to select’em odds, itemizing Pineda -106 and Elkins -114 through FanDuel.

Darren Elkins vs. Daniel Pineda UFC Struggle Evening 245 begin time, watch

As the principle card opener, Elkins and Pineda are anticipated to stroll to the cage at roughly 7:05 p.m. ET (4:05 p.m. PT). The battle will stream on ESPN+.