The 19-year-old has dominated his debut bout at MMA by the Bay in Geelong, scoring an opening round knock-down win.

Smith, who is trained by Bendigo MMA star Richie Ivory, landed a flurry of blows late in the round on Stuart Weekes before stopping his Melbourne-based opponent with a devastating right hook.

The event was the first caged professional MMA show held in Geelong.

With Smith's bout on first, he holds the distinction of being the first mixed martial artist to score a win inside the cage in Victoria’s largest regional city.

Ivory, who in November will fight in the BRACE MMA Tournament bantamweight division title, said his protege had no shortage of ability.

"I've tried bringing him up slowly through the amateurs and getting plenty of amateur kickboxing and jiu jitsu fights," he said.

"That way when we get into the pro-league they know what they're doing - they're relaxed and they're calm.

"I feel if they rush to turn pro it can show - you never see a boxer turning pro without a lot of amateur fights.

"In MMA, a lot of guys turn pro to quickly.

"For Andrew to look so relaxed in there in his first pro fight showed we were doing something right."

Ivory said importantly Smith came through the fight unscathed without any bruising or cuts.

He said there would be no rushing into the next fight.

"We'll just see what opportunities come our way," he said.

"We'll keep him busy if that's what he wants to do, but having the next fight quickly is not a big deal.

"The more often that you do it, the less nervous you get and the more normal it is.

"As long as he keeps healthy and happy."

Ivory praised the efforts of co-promoters John Bourke and Steve Moxon for delivering a quality show on their first attempt in Geelong.

MMA by the Bay drew a capacity crowd of about 700.

"It was really well run at The Pier function rooms - outside the room was completely surrounded by water," Ivory said.

"It was pretty spectacular to be in that venue - one of the nicer venues I have seen.

"The fights were nice and quick - it was a good show."

Meanwhile, Ivory is readying for his November title fight and will have a warm-up against undefeated featherweight Michael Tobin on the Gold Coast on October 8.

Tobin, who goes by the name 'The Great White', is ranked in the top two in the country, with his perfect 11-0 record containing 10 submissions.

Ivory will be moving up in weight to tackle the Gold Coast-based featherweight.