Ever since he departed from World Wrestling Entertainment several years ago the giant former WWE champion has teased making his MMA debut, most notably famously flirting with Strikeforce before the Zuffa buyout.
Tonight, he finally made his debut. While his opponent, Vince Lucero, was far from an elite heavyweight he had a giant experience advantage with over 40 professional fights.
Bautista wound up getting the victory over the big heavyweight but it didn’t come easy. Lucero rattled the Cesar Gracie training partner early, unloading with a series of strikes against the cage. Ultimately, when his conditioning failed him Bautista took control, forcing a takedown.
After spending a bit of time on his back, seeking a rear-naked-choke Bautista would unload with his heavy hands on the grounded opponent who didn’t respond, forcing senior referee Dan Mirgliotta to stop the action.
Along with the former WWE champion, UFC veterans in David Loiseau and John Howard also notched victories on the pay-per-view portion. Below are the full results.
Main Card
Dave Bautista def. Vince Lucero via first-round TKO
Chandler Holderness def. Todd Chattelle via first-round TKO
David Loiseau def. Chris McNally via first-round TKO
John Howard def. Brett Chism via second-round TKO
Mike Campbell def. Gemiyale Adkins via unanimous decision
Calvin Kattar def. Saul Almeida via unanimous decision
Luis Felix def. Marc Stevens via unanimous decision
Undercard
Greg Rebello def. Chris Guillen via submission (rear-naked choke)
Tyler King def. Josh Diekmann via unanimous decision
Brennan Ward def. Shedrick Goodridge via first-round TKO
Nate Andrews def. Leon Davis via submission (guillotine)
Andre Soukhamthat def. Rob Costa via second-round TKO
