Damian Pinas signs with Dominance MMA

Damian Pinas' momentum isn't slowing down. He's been a lightning rod inside the cage, and is now making the right moves outside of it by signing with Dominance MMA in the wake of his UFC 332 win. If things go well, it will open doors for him that were previously too heavy for his prior management.

Damian Pinas and Ali Abdelaziz join forces

Dominance MMA is the sports management agency founded by Ali Abdelaziz, who is one of the most successful MMA managers of all time. His list of clients is extensive, featuring legends like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Kamaru Usman, and Henry Cejudo, along with current stars in reigning UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev, UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, and UFC women's bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison. Now, those ranks include UFC middleweight knockout artist Damian Pinas.

Abdelaziz himself broke the news on social media, and he will now play a big role in Pinas' ascension in the UFC, negotiating in favor of high-profile fights and better contracts for his client.

"I'm excited."

Pinas is coming off the biggest win of his career, knocking out Andrey Pulyaev in round one at UFC 332 to improve his MMA record to 11-1, with his only loss being a disqualification against Italo Gomes in round one of their Shooto Brasil 121 encounter. The Pulyaev win was especially impressive given how much another power-puncher, Ateba Gautier, struggled to finish him, only taking Pulyaev to a unanimous decision at UFC 324. The power that Pinas has comes so naturally to him that he seems to throw his strikes without much effort at all. He has finished everyone he's ever beaten, and he'll now look to face tougher competition as he solidifies his status as a high-profile prospect.

However, he remains unranked in a division full of big names. Though at just 24 years old, he's in no rush and has plenty of time to break into the top 15 and eventually the top 10. Whether he manages to go on a top five run is what everyone is curious about, and seeing as he took virtually no damage in his win over Pulyaev, there's no reason why he can't get right back into the octagon before the year ends, which he clearly understands.