A battle between two hefty middleweights ended with Tim Boetsch forced to tap out, caught in a rear-naked choke by Antonio Carlos Junior.
At UFC on FOX 29 in Glendale, Arizona on Saturday, Tim Boetsch returned for the first time since a June 2017 win over Johny Henricks. His opponent at UFC Glendale, Antonio Carlos Junior, entered the night on a four fight win streak. Which man would move forward in Glendale, the veteran, or the TUF Brazil 3 alum?
Boetsch fired off a kick to the lead leg of his opponent to get things underway. A right then landed for Boetsch, but didn’t seem to bother Carlos Junior much. Carlos Junior was more than happy to answer back; both men were a threat to score a KO. ‘The Barbarian’ then ate a leg kick that was definitely felt. Carlos Junior went upstairs with a kick that was blocked; Boetsch answered with a leg kick. It was fairly even through the first half of the frame, but Carlos Junior then landed a heavy counter. Boetsch then landed a heavy right hand of his own; a flurry from both fighters followed, and Boetsch found himself fending off a takedown. He was able to delay, but not prevent the eventual takedown, and soon was covering up as Carlos Junior landed some heavy blows. The Brazilian then took the back, sinking in a body triangle and locking in a rear-naked choke to get the tap!
The TUF Brazil 3 winner, at heavyweight, had clearly arrived in the 185lb division. While he wasn’t willing to call out any names, he said post fight that he was awaiting the next challenge. Who that turns out to be remains to be seen.
Antonio Carlos Junior def. Tim Boetsch by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 4:28
