UFC Fight Night 53 results recap: Max Holloway vs Akira Corassani fight review and analysis

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweights Max Holloway and Akira Corassani had a fast-paced scrap yesterday afternoon (Sat., Oct. 4, 2014) at UFC Fight Night 53 on Fight Pass inside the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.

Holloway has enjoyed a hell of a 2014. He entered this bout on a three fight winning streak -- all finishes -- including a victory over Team Alpha Male prospect Andre Fili. Against Corassani, the 22-year-old Hawaiian looked to continue to build momentum in the crowded featherweight division.

Corassani, on the other hand, was looking to stay away from consecutive losses. He had been on a three-fight winning streak -- though the officiating in his bouts was questionable -- before running into Dustin Poirier. In front of his home crowd, Corassani really wanted a victory.

Sadly for the Swede, the younger fighter would not be denied.

Early on, it appeared that Corassani was the sharper fighter. He snapped Holloway's head back with a jab and then blocked "Blessed's" head kick. Utilizing his foot work well, Corassani landed a solid three-punch combination after avoiding much of Holloway's offense.

Corassani next landed a hard overhand. About a couple minutes in, Holloway began finding his range, scoring with a straight left and body kick. However, Corassani was still game and landed a nice left hook-right hand.

After absorbing an overhand, Holloway dropped Corassani with his 1-2. The fallen fighter showed plenty of heart by getting up and momentarily clinching while Holloway unleashed strikes upon him. However, Holloway again knocked Corassani down with a 1-2 once the two separated.

From there, Corassani absorbed quite a few unnecessary punches as the ref slowly moved in.

For the fourth time this year, Holloway looked fantastic. His high volume attack has long been very effective and is getting more dangerous as "Blessed" finds his power. Within the next few years, expect him to break into the top 10.

In the immediate future, the UFC is likely to continue building the young featherweight for at least one more fight. A match up against Thiago Tavares -- a solid veteran who can threaten Holloway with submissions -- would show if Holloway has truly improved his grappling.

This is only Corassani's second loss inside the Octagon, but it's his fifth knockout loss overall. Since Corassani fights like a striker, that has to be quite demoralizing. Still, he will get another bout on a future European fight card.

Corassani should get matched up with a fairly low-level featherweight. A potentially fun scrap against Daniel Hooker could be next for the Swede. An exciting bout like this could easily help fill out the prelims of an event in either Europe or Australia/New Zealand.

At UFC Fight Night 53, Max Holloway continued his winning ways at the expense of Akira Corassani. How high can the young striker climb?

For complete UFC Fight Night 53 "Story vs Nelson" results, click here.