Monday Morning Hangover: What's next for Lyoto Machida after getting knocked out by Yoel Romero?

Another weekend of fisticuffs has come and gone, as UFC Fight Night 70 blew the roof off Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla., last Saturday night (June 27, 2015) on FOX Sports 1.

For complete results from UFC Fight Night 70: "Machida vs. Romero" click here.

Plenty of fighters were left licking their wounds, including Santiago Panzinibbio, who was knocked out by Lorenz Larkin in round number two (highlights). And Eddie Gordon, who was strangled into submission by Antonio Carlos Junior via rear-naked choke (recap).

But which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now 48 hours removed from the show?

Lyoto Machida.

In what was one of the fastest turnarounds between fights for "The Dragon," the former light heavyweight champion looked to bounce back against Yoel Romero after getting choked out by Luke Rockhold just two short months ago.

Instead of righting his ship, however, Machida's boat sank a bit further, as the Cuban-born fighter and former Olympian, Romero, knocked the Brazilian bomber out in round three of their scheduled five-round main event contest.

After what was initially a game of you counter strike me and I'll counter strike you, Romero, who showed the patience of  saint, eventually used his renowned grappling skills to take the karate expert down in round three with little to no effort.

From there, it was all she wrote, as the powerful middleweight connected on four consecutive elbows to Machida's face to put the former champion out for a split-second and force "Big" John McCarthy to put an end to the punishment.

See it again here.

While the win was a huge one for Romero, giving him his sixth straight win inside the Octagon, the loss was a devastating blow to the career of Lyoto, as he has now lost two in a row and three of four overall.

Granted, Machida's losses didn't exactly come against scrubs, falling to the against the aforementioned Rockhold and current division champion Chris Weidman, but the fact remains: Machida doesn't look like the same world beater that set the MMA community on fire six years ago.

And that's okay.

Six years is a long time and it doesn't take long for a sport as unforgiving as MMA to take its toll on the body and mind. And with one tough fight after another against the cream of the crop, eventually, you're bound to hit a few bumps in the road.

For Machida, this is the second two-fight losing streak of his career. But it doesn't spell doom for the "Karate Kid."

Then again, he isn't a spring chicken, either, as Lyoto -- who just turned 37 a few months ago -- now has 29 bouts under his belt during his 13 year career. A lot of them tough, grueling contests.

How he bounces back from his rough stretch will be interesting to see. One thing is certain: Lyoto's next opponent needs to be against the man in the mirror, as he should take plenty of time for himself in order to heal up, regroup, and think about his future career and personal life goals moving forward before he even contemplates stepping back into the cage.

Personally, I'd like to see him sit at least seven to nine months (maybe a bit more) to get his head and body straight. When he does return, there will be no shortage of challengers waiting to welcome him back.