UFC Fight Night 34 was a card filled with largely unknown fighters, but when the stream for the debut event on UFC Fight Pass came to a conclusion, several competitors had turned in shining performances.

From Singapore’s main event all the way down to the first prelim, the fighters did their best to leave a strong impression for viewers. Most did, but three stood out above the rest.

With that in mind, here are the three stars from “UFC Fight Night 34: Saffiedine vs. Lim.”

Third Star: Max Holloway

A “Knockout of the Night” bonus is hard to ignore, and for 22-year-old Max Holloway (8-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC), the extra $50,000 he received for his thrilling finish over featherweight Will Chope (19-6 MMA, 0-1 UFC) is likely a life-changing sum of money for the youngster.

Holloway had trouble with the height and length of his foe in the early stages of the matchup, but as any seasoned striker should, the Hawaiian adapted to the situation and found his groove as the fight wore on.

Once Holloway found his rhythm, the finish was imminent, and he ended the fight by overwhelming the UFC newcomer with a flurry of strikes. It was by far the most impressive showing of Holloway’s seven UFC appearances and proved that the back-to-back losses in 2013 were a mere bump on his road of development.

Second Star: Tatsuya Kawajiri

Tatsuya Kawajiri’s (33-7-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) UFC debut may have come a few years too late in the eyes of most, and despite the fighter briefly considering retirement at one point, “The Crusher” finally stepped into the confines of the octagon for the first time and came out on top.

For a moment in his fight with 145-pounder Sean Soriano (8-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC), the Japanese standout appeared he was going to fold on the big stage as dozens before him have.

Fortunately, Kawajiri found a way to win the fight by taking his less experienced opponent to the mat and securing a rear-naked choke.

While most fighters are a bit humble and reserved when they first join the UFC roster, Kawajiri took no time in calling out the featherweight division’s top fighters after his win, which shows he isn’t in the world’s premier MMA organization just to gain a paycheck.

First Star: Tarec Saffiedine

Tarec Saffiedine (15-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) headlined the final show of the now-defunct Strikeforce organization in 2013, when he earned a decision win over Nate Marquardt to become the welterweight champion with the help of vicious leg kicks.

In the first main event of 2014, “The Sponge” made his UFC debut and defeated massive welterweight Hyun Gyu Lim (12-4-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) over five rounds with a similar, yet more refined, onslaught of attacks to the leg.

While Saffiedine has been on the brunt end of some criticism for his inability to knock out or submit Lim in their headliner, he still looked extremely sharp after a nearly yearlong layoff.

The break from fighting forced Saffiedine out of the spotlight after winning the Strikeforce belt, but on Saturday, he showed why he could still be an important piece of the welterweight title picture.

Not many fighters are given the opportunity to headline a UFC card in their promotional debuts, and Saffiedine made the most of that opportunity with a brilliant effort that had people talking well beyond the conclusion of the event.

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 34, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

(Pictured: Max Holloway)