Monday Morning Hangover: Nate Diaz is stopped for the first time inside the Octagon

Another weekend of fisticuffs has come and gone as UFC on FOX 7 blew the roof off the HP Pavilion last Saturday night (April 20, 2013) in San Jose, California

Many combatants were left licking their wounds after a wild night of fights including Jordan Mein, whose momentum was quickly halted thanks to Matt Brown (read how it went down here), and Gilbert Melendez, who lost a razor thin decision to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight Champion Ben Henderson (watch it here).

But, which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now two days removed?

Nate Diaz.

The younger of the Diaz boys suffered his second straight loss inside the Octagon as Josh Thomson made a triumphant return to UFC, becoming the first man to finish Nate inside the eight-walled cage.

"The Punk" was able to deliver a head kick to the dome of Diaz in the second round (watch it again here), which spelled the beginning of the end for the Cesar Gracie-trained fighter, as Josh followed up with a brutal ground-and-pound attack which left Nate bloodied and had his corner men throwing in the towel (literally) seconds before the referee put a stop to the punishment.

So what went wrong for Diaz?

It was simply a failure to adjust. I hate to sound like a Monday morning quarterback, but Thomson landed the same kick in the first round which was ultimately the demise of Diaz in the second. Nate was able to walk right through the first one.

The second ... not so much.

Not trying to do my best Nostradumbass impression, seeing as how the fights have already come and gone, but, as the action went on I told myself, "Self, Josh is going to connect with that kick again and knock him out clean."

It didn't, however, but it did send him crashing to the canvas, covering up for dear life. Prior to the kick, Thomson did a good job of controlling the pace of the fight, refusing to be drawn into a slugfest, moving lightly on his feet and picking his shots carefully all while avoiding the famous Diaz onslaught of punches.

Perhaps Thomson, much like Carlos Condit and Georges St. Pierre, figured out the Diaz riddle.

Gone are the days when tactics such as getting flipped the bird and being taunted work as intimidation and bait to get lured into standing in the direct line of fire for target practice. An undeterred Thomson kept his cool and stuck to the gameplan of sticking and moving on his way to a "Knockout of the Night" performance.

So what's next for Nate?

Oh, hello welterweight division. Diaz recently revealed he was going to make the move back up to 170 pounds because he had beaten everyone (sans Henderson and Thomson) and fought everyone worth fighting in that division.

Should company president Dana White not stand in the way of Nate's plans, Mike Swick would be a good welcome back fight for Diaz. Both have an appetite for striking and a showdown with "Quick" could prove as a win/win situation for both men (and fans).

Why?

Even in defeat, the loser would likely save their spot on the UFC roster in what would surely be a "Fight of the Night" performance, thanks to their similarly aggressive striking styles.

And go home a bit richer, too.