Damian
Pinas continues to generate buzz following his latest knockout
victory in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship and
Nova Uniao head coach Andre
Pederneiras believes the surging middleweight is unlike anyone
he has coached before.
Pinas bagged another UFC victory with a first-round knockout of
Cesar
Almeida at
UFC 329. The Aruba native has now recorded nine knockouts in 10
professional victories, with one submission.
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Andre Pederneiras discusses Damian Pinas after UFC 329
knockout
Pederneiras, who has spent more than three decades developing elite
mixed martial artists, told Sherdog’s Marcelo Alonso that he
immediately recognized Pinas‘ potential when he arrived at Nova
Uniao for a tryout in 2024.
“I’ve held pads for a lot of heavyweights, including elite
strikers, and I’ve never seen anyone hit as hard as he does,”
Pederneiras said. “Right away I realized he was a special talent,
and from that moment on he started training with us … Besides
being incredibly strong, he learns extremely fast. He’s already
submitting black belts during our no-gi training sessions.”
Despite his rapid ascent, Pinas has insisted he is not rushing
toward title contention.
“When I joined Shooto, I said
it would take me five years to reach the UFC, but I made it in
three,” Pinas said. “So, let’s say five years to win the belt
sounds good. I’m only 24 years old — I have plenty of time.”
Pinas also told Sherdog that beyond hopes of a championship, he
wants to inspire children throughout Aruba, Suriname and the
Caribbean to pursue their dreams.