ST. CHARLES, MO (August 14, 2010) – Josh Neer didn’t engage in a stand-up battle with Jesse Finney like he suggested he might in Saturday’s main event of Fight Me MMA 1: The Battle Begins! Finney vs. Neer at the Family Arena just outside of St. Louis.

Instead, the UFC veteran finished with a dominating win.

In front of a sold-out pro-Finney crowd, Neer repeatedly took down the St. Louis native, finishing him off with a guillotine submission late in the first round. After the heated talk leading up to the fight, the victory tasted especially sweet for Neer (28-10-1).

"This is definitely pleasing," Neer said. "I like to embrace the fight. I love to fight and when I get in there, I want to have a good time. "I had a lot of fun in there."

He wasn’t alone on a festive and action-packed night. It was a rewarding night for the Fight Me promotion, which entered the mixed martial arts game with a successful and entertaining debut night in front of an energetic crowd.

Neer fed off that, intensely staring down Finney before handing the Strikeforce veteran his first career loss. Neer appeared to have the strength advantage, taking Finney down and mounting him twice in the first round. Finney (6-1) gallantly battled through most of it, but one last powerful surge from Neer was enough for "The Dentist" to pick up the victory.

"I wanted to take him down," Neer said. "My guys kept telling me, ‘Let’s take him down and beat him up’ and that’s what I did."

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