UFC 135 Results: Is Nate Diaz on the Rise After Impressive Victory?

Nate Diaz may have executed the greatest victory of his career on Saturday at UFC 135 when he stunned everybody by submitting Takanori Gomi at the 4:27 mark of the first round.

Gomi—known for his powerful, swinging haymakers—looked like he was in slow motion against Diaz, and it only took Diaz a couple minutes to begin wailing on the Japanese star.

The fight ended with Diaz locking Gomi up in an armbar and Gomi tapping out.

And while the victory was unexpected, it only confirmed that Diaz had no business being in the welterweight division in the first place. It was no coincidence that Diaz's decision to return to the lightweight division began with an impressive victory.

In the welterweight division, Diaz was 2-2, including losses against Dong Hyun Kim and Rory MacDonald. The truth is, the 26-year-old has always been born to fight at 155 pounds, and whatever prompted him to move up a weight class should never surface again.

Diaz has talent, he has the lineage to be a great fighter (his brother Nick also defeated Gomi) and he showed on Saturday that he definitely has a knack for seizing the opportunity.

He's also young, and if he continues fighting the way he did against Gomi, it won't be long before he begins making some waves in the lightweight division.

Diaz may have lost his way in the early goings, but he appears to be back on track in his quest to follow in his brother's footsteps. He still has a lot of work to do, but that victory against Gomi on Saturday had to feel good.

One thing's for sure: I don't think Diaz will ever return to the welterweight division.