UFC 146 Fight Card Primer: Mike Brown Vs. Daniel Pineda

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

The opening fight of the night is a contrast in just about everything. On one side of the cage you have a former WEC featherweight champion that has been fighting his own body even more than his opponents over the last couple of years. On the other side you have an unknown that has managed to rack up two first-round submission victories in his first two octagon visits. Mike Brown (25-8, 1-3 UFC) meets Daniel Pineda (17-7, 2-0 UFC).

Neither fighter is currently ranked at featherweight in the USA Today/BE Consensus Rankings. Brown used to top the charts back in the day but his fall has been swift. Both men would need to string together at least a couple of wins to break into the elite, but Pineda would probably get some votes with a win at least. This featherweight UFC 146 bout is the first bout of the preliminary card and will be streamed live on Facebook. The Facebook stream begins at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.

How do these two stack up?

Brown: 36 years old | 5'6" | 70" reach
Pineda: 26 years old | 5'7" | Unknown reach

What have these two done recently?

Brown: W - Nam Phan (UD) | L - Rani Yahya (UD) | L - Diego Nunes (SD)
Pineda: W - Mackens Semerzier (SUB) | W - Pat Schilling (SUB) | W - Gilbert Jimenez (TKO)

How did these two get here?

Mike Brown is an eleven-year pro and cornerstone of American Top Team. He rose to prominence in the WEC where he defeated Urijah Faber for the WEC featherweight title and defended it twice (against Leonard Garcia and Faber in a rematch) before dropping the title to Jose Aldo. He fell on hard times after that though due to overtraining and some strange injuries and has gone just 3-3 in his last six bouts. His win over Nam Phan in his last bout at UFC 133 last year showed that he still has something in the tank, but it remains to be seen whether he can make another run or not.

Daniel "The Pit" Pineda came up in Texas and lost a couple of Bellator fights before a good run in Legacy FC. The UFC signed him after a five-fight winning streak, but he wasn't really viewed as a credible threat. Two straight first-round submission wins in the UFC have made people wake up though, and he'll look to pick up the biggest win of his career over MTB.

Why should you care?

The storyline might not appeal to everyone, but the two men are meeting at the crossroads of their careers and it'll be interesting to see if the grizzled vet can stop the momentum of the surging Pineda.

You can catch more UFC 146 preview content from Bloody Elbow after the jump.

SBN coverage of UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Mir

UFC 146 Staff Picks And Predictions

UFC 146: Roy Nelson Vs. Dave Herman Dissection - Dallas Winston

UFC 146: Before And After - Tim Burke

UFC 146: Up Close And Personal With Dan Hardy Part II - Dan Hardy

The MMA Tete-A-Tete: UFC 146 Preview, Jon Jones' Arrest, Nick Diaz and Chael Sonnen NSAC Hearings - Nate Wilcox

UFC 146 Video: Junior Dos Santos Fulfills Dreams Of Brazilian Family, Flies Them To Vegas For Frank Mir Bout - Anton Tabuena

UFC 146: Stipe Miocic Vs. Shane Del Rosario Dissection - Dallas Winston

UFC 146 Video: Fighter Diary - Jason 'Mayhem' Miller - Tim Burke

Video: Countdown To UFC 146 - Tim Burke

UFC 146 Pre-Fight Press Conference Video And Coverage - Tim Burke