Monday Morning Hangover: What's next for Thomas Almeida after getting knocked out by Cody Garbrandt?

Another weekend of fisticuffs has come and gone, as UFC Fight Night 88 went down this past Sunday night (May 29, 2016) from inside Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

For complete coverage of the entire UFC Fight Night 88: "Almeida vs. Garbrandt" card click here.

Plenty of fighters were left licking their wounds, including Aljamain Sterling, who was upset by Bryan Caraway after three rounds of bantamweight action (play-by-play here). And Renan Barao, who was out-classed and out-powered by Jeremy Stephens in his featherweight debut (see it again here).

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

Thomas Almeida.

Going into his main event fight against fellow rising bantamweight, Cody Garbrandt, Almeida was touted as the next big thing at 135 pounds. He had first billing on the marquee and got to walk out last; the usual treatment for a headlining act.

Cody, though, never bought into the hype, going as far as to say that the young Brazilian padded his record by defeating a bunch of "cab drivers."

And just as he was quick to make that bold statement, "No Love" was just as eager to back it up, as he took it to Almeida early and often.

From the jump, Garbrandt was determined to be the aggressor, walking Thomas down every chance he could. And he didn't waste any punches either, as Cody threw with bad intentions every time. And after rocking Almeida with a left hook, "No Love" clipped his foe with a devastating right hand that would have felled an elephant.

After dropping his opponent like a bad habit, Cody went in for the kill, though he only got to deliver one more clean shot before referee John McCarthy decided he had seen enough.

Now, Garbrandt will finally get some love from the ranking panelists, as an unranked fighter defeating the No. 7 guy should.

Hopefully.

As for Almeida, though the loss is a devastating one, it isn't the end of the world for the 24-year-old prospect.

He has the time to revamp his fight game and more importantly his defense, as he has shown a vulnerability to get tagged repeatedly and dropped early in two of his last three fights. Fortunately for him, Brad Pickett couldn't close the deal.

But when you face a hard hitter like Garbrandt, recovering is much more difficult.

The proof is in the pudding.

As for what's next for the young Brazilian, perhaps a showdown fellow Brazilian Johnny Eduardo is in order. Sure, it isn't a high-profile bout like the one against "No Love" was, but "Thominhas" needs to start somewhere, and taking on a man coming off a defeat seems like a good option.

And it could even take place on the next card in Brazil, as it will pit two of the best camps in the country -- Chute Boxe and Team Nova Uniao -- against one another.