Batista wins MMA debut bout by stoppage in the first round at CES 12 in Rhode Island

The Man with the Iron Fists, indeed.

Dave Bautista, better known to pro wrestling fans as simply Batista, made his mixed martial arts (MMA) debut tonight (Oct. 6, 2012) in Providence, Rhode Island. He took on journeyman Vince Lucero, who came in at a whopping 300-pounds. The experienced veteran of the sport came in having competed in fights against some big names in MMA, taking on the likes of Tim Sylvia and "Big Country" Roy Nelson.

When the bell rang, Lucero came out with bar-fight rights and found a home for quite a few of them on Bautista's face. The battle was then contested on the cage in the clinch, where Lucero would wave and throw peace signs to the crowd as he pressed Bautista into the cage.

"Brass Body" spent most of the fight backing away and having his chin tested, but he managed to slip under a Lucero strike for a single leg. With some spastic grappling, Bautista took mount.

And it was all downhill from there.

Lucero rolled from his back, to his stomach, to his side, and to his stomach again as Bautista unloaded punches to the clammed-up Lucero. Referee Dan Miragliotta was forced to stop the bout after this flurry.

Some words were exchanged between the referee, Bautista, and Lucero, but everyone was able to hug it out in the end.

While he looked understandably novice here, Dave Bautista is officially 1-0 in professional MMA in 2012.

Any fantasy match-ups for Bautista you would like to see? Or do you Cagesiders think a one and done is in order?

For complete results and blow-by-blow coverage of the entire CES 12 main card click here.