UFC 170 results, photos: Ernest Chavez tops Yosdenis Cedeno via split decision

LAS VEGAS – It wasn’t exactly pretty, but Ernest Chavez earned a win in his UFC debut with a split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27) over Yosdenis Cedeno, who was also making his octagon debut.

The lightweight bout opened the preliminary card of today’s UFC 170 event at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass ahead of additional prelims on FOX Sports 1 and a main card on pay-per-view.

The most obvious differences between Chavez and Cedeno became evident when the fight hit the mat in Round 1. Whereas Chavez seemed to possess a perfunctory jiu-jitsu game, Cedeno had no game at all in that area. At several points in the first two rounds, it looked like he was all but offering an armbar submission to Chavez, who for some reason declined to accept it.

Even more baffling was that, after exposing his opponent’s weakness on the mat, Chavez was content to spend the final round entirely on the feet, trading strikes at a distance before bull-rushing into a clinch.

Fortunately for Chavez, it was just good enough for a win in two of the three judges’ eyes.

“You hear about the UFC jitters all the time, and I can tell you that it is definitely a reality,” Chavez said. “I’m just fortunate that I have great coaches who were able to steer me through the fight. I did my best to get the points, and it ended up going my way. I’m looking forward to getting back in that octagon and getting a finish next time around.”

Chavez (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) maintains his perfect record with the victory in his first UFC bout. Cedeno (9-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) loses his first fight since 2010.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 170 results include:

• Ernest Chavez def. Yosdenis Cedeno via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)

For complete coverage of UFC 170, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

John Morgan and Matt Erickson contributed to this report on-site in Las Vegas.