GLENDALE, Ariz. – After tempting fate with a few wild exchanges on the feet, Antonio Carlos Junior took a more sound approach in finishing Tim Boetsch.

The middleweight bout closed out the the preliminary card of today’s UFC on FOX 29 event at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz., near Phoenix. It aired on FOX following additional prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ahead of the main card on FOX.

Carlos Junior wasn’t afraid to strike with his opponent in the early going, rushing forward with a few jabs and slipping the big right hands that came in reply. A slapping Carlos Junior leg kick certainly caught Boetsch’s attention, as well, but the Brazilian was able to evade the big punches that came flying back his way.

Boetsch did land a stunning right hand shortly after, but Carlos Junior replied with a flurry of his own before driving in for a takedown. While successful, Carlos Junior couldn’t keep the fight on the floor. A second takedown also proved temporary at first, until Carlos Junior teased an advance to the back, forcing Boetsch to settle on the canvas and try to defend.

It didn’t work.

Carlos Junior deftly worked his way to the back, securing his position and getting his arm under the neck, earning the tap with a rear-naked choke at the 4:28 mark of the opening round.

Carlos Junior (10-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) now owns a seven-fight winning, while Boetsch (21-12 MMA, 12-11 UFC) falls to 1-2 in his past three contests.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on FOX 29 results include:

• Antonio Carlos Junior def. Tim Boetsch via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:28
• Muslim Salikhov def. Ricky Rainey via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 4:12
• John Moraga def. Wilson Reis via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Brad Tavares def. Krzysztof Jotko via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:16
• Gilbert Burns def. Dan Moret via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 0:59
• Lauren Mueller def. Shana Dobson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Yushin Okami def. Dhiego Lima via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
• Adam Wieczorek def. Arjan Bhullar via submission (omo plata) – Round 2, 1:59
• Alejandro Perez def. Matthew Lopez via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:42
• Luke Sanders def. Patrick Williams via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

For complete coverage of UFC on FOX 29, check out the UFC Events section of the site.