Kicking off the event was a featherweight fight between Team Miller featherweight teammates Bryan Caraway and Dustin Neace.
Caraway joined the reality show as one of the more experienced competitors in the house. The grappling ace has fought in the WEC, Strikeforce, and the now-defunct EliteXC promotion. Caraway made it to the semi-finals before being finished by Diego Brandao.
Neace, meanwhile, has fought in nearly twice as many bouts as his opponent, but hasn’t had as much success. Another submission fighter, Neace was eliminated on the show after a controversial no tap from Akira Corassani in the quarterfinals.
Caraway flurried early but failed to connect. Neace scored repeatedly with his jab. A right hand from Neace landed. Caraway then answered with a hook of his own that wobbled Neace briefly. An overhand right from Caraway missed its target. Caraway nailed the fight’s first takedown and landed on top along the fence. As Caraway tried to pass to side control, Neace locked in an inverted triangle, but Caraway escaped. With a minute left in the round, Caraway moved to the back of Neace. Caraway attached the right arm of Neace as the round closed.
The fighters traded kicks to start the second frame. Neace landed a lead left hook. Caraway missed with another overhand right. Neace controlled the center of the cage, but Caraway again scored with a takedown and immediately worked from side control. Neace scrambled and worked for a takedown of his, but Caraway reversed the position and took Neace’s back again. Caraway locked in a fight-ending rear-naked choke.
Speaking to Joe Rogan post-fight, Caraway was thrilled to get his first Octagon win.
Official Result: Bryan Caraway def. Dustin Neace by submission (rear-naked choke). Round 2, 3:38
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Rob Tatum is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. You can also find Rob’s work at TheMMACorner.com. For anything related to MMA, you can follow Rob on Twitter @RobTatumMMA.