UFC 143 Results: Max Holloway Has Bright Future Despite Loss to Dustin Poirier

Mixed martial arts may be a young man's game, but as Max Holloway demonstrated in his first-round loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 143, there's still much to be said for the value of experience.

"The Diamond" made quick work of "Lil Evil" in Las Vegas on Saturday night, dominating the 20-year-old flyin' Hawaiian as soon as the bout went to the mat. Holloway displayed some promising technique on his feet at the outset, nailing Poirier with a big knee and escaping the first few of his takedown attempts.

But Holloway's fortunes quickly faded once the fight went to the ground. Poirier needed only a couple minutes to get Holloway right where he wanted him, picking up the youngster and dropping him to the mat. Holloway was able to squirm away for a bit, but not without opening himself up to a series of punishing blows from Poirier. Holloway attempted to work his way back up against the cage, though his efforts only landed him in arm bar after arm bar in rapid succession.

Poirier eventually finished off Holloway with a triangle arm bar at the 3:23 mark of the first round, with the referee calling the fight before Holloway's arm snapped completely.

As swift as the defeat was for Holloway, the kid from the islands has little to be ashamed of. Holloway came into Saturday's bout as the youngest active fighter on the UFC roster and had just four previous professional fights under his belt—all wins against significantly more experienced competition. In Poirier, he ran into a 23-year-old combatant who's considered one of the rising stars of the featherweight division and may soon be in the running to contend for a title belt.

Like every fighter his age, Holloway has plenty of work to do to put himself on par with the likes of Poirier. Holloway looked solid on his feet but was clearly outclassed on the mat, where Poirier needed little time to finish off the fight. With time and the proper dedication, a kid of Holloway's physical gifts and precocious talents could very well emerge as the next big thing in a division populated by relatively small dudes.

For now, though, Holloway will simply have to take his lumps and put the lessons learned to good use.

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