UFC 143: 3 Fighters Who Showed Promise in Las Vegas

While all the hype at UFC 143 revolved around the bout between Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit, there were plenty of other fighters who showed a lot of promise at last night's event.

Many of the smaller fights were in place to give some under the radar fighters a shot to make a name for themselves and for some, that is exactly what they came in and did.

The following fighters made some serious noise on Saturday night and they could be for many more events to come.

Steven Thompson

It didn't take long for Thompson to make a name for himself at the UFC, as he handled his opponent Dan Stittgen with ease to grab his first win with the UFC.

Both fighters were making their first appearances with the organization, but it was Thompson who got the best of his first shot.

He won the strike count, getting a shot at Stittgen 22 times compared to his eight.

He defeated Stittgen with a first-round TKO that went to just the 4:13 mark. He took him out with a high kick to the head and things are looking promising for the young fighter.

He came into this fight with a 5-0 record, but will now be looking to make his way to greater opportunities in the premier fighting organization.

Matt Brown

While Brown is no rookie in this sport, he looked very impressive in his second-round TKO victory over Chris Cope.

Brown has been bouncing back from a string of bad luck, losing four of his last five matches. In this win over Cope, he easily won having 48 strikes to Cope's 20. He also had the only takedown in the fight.

Cope wasn't looking to be much of a challenge for Brown, but his convincing win is a step in the right direction for the former The Ultimate Fighter contestant. It will remain to be seen if he will keep up this strength in the octagon, but things looked promising last night.

Dustin Poirier

In just his sixth UFC appearance, Poirier made a convincing statement over Max Holloway at UFC 143. It was his fourth straight victory with the UFC and he did so in even better fashion than each of his last wins.

He defeated Holloway by submission in the first round, having one takedown and three submissions in the fight. Both fighters finished with 11 strikes, but it was Poirier who still looked more dominant throughout the entire match.

Holloway definitely has promise, but Poirier is really making a statement through his early goings in the organization.

It will be interesting to see where his next opportunity will come, but he is looking to continue to move up on the card with each event.

Jeff Chase is a Featured Columnist for the Chicago Cubs and Arizona State football.