Dern guts out split decision over Yoder in first UFC bout

It wasn't pretty, but Mackenzie Dern kept the hype train on track in her maiden voyage to the Octagon.

The highly touted newcomer recovered from a second-round knockdown to grind out a split decision over fellow strawweight Ashley Yoder, remaining undefeated in UFC 222's featured preliminary bout on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Dern betrayed rather clunky striking from the opening bell, recklessly charging in with winging punches that put Yoder on the back foot nonetheless. The newcomer's aggression and work from the clinch presumably were enough to put her ahead on the scorecards going into the second, but a game Yoder repeatedly shucked off her takedown attempts and soon found a home for her left hand - with one momentarily flooring the Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace to tie it up two stanzas in.

It was in the third where Dern lived up to her billing as a blue-chipper, finally scoring the takedown she'd been relentlessly pursuing before treating Yoder to a backpack attack in search of a rear-naked choke. Yoder valiantly fought off Dern's hands to make it to the final horn, but only much-maligned judge Adalaide Byrd gave her the nod.

Yoder has now dropped three decisions in as many walks to the Octagon.