UFC lightweight contender Josh Thomson appears to be getting antsy sitting on the sidelines following a controversial split-decision loss to Benson Henderson at UFC on FOX 10 in January.
That, combined with a legitimate dislike for fellow ex-Strikeforce titleholder Nick Diaz, led to an epic callout on Twitter early Sunday morning.
"I knocked out your brother, I'll knock ur b---- a-- out in San Jose July 26th.Let's do it B----, San Jose vs Stockon. Yup, F--- U NICK DIAZ!"
Updates from Sunday, May 4
Thomson has since stated that his phone was stolen and denied sending out the tweet:
People that know me, know I wouldn't ever talk about a fighter like this. My phone was stolen last night while at dinner.
— Josh Thomson (@THEREALPUNK) May 4, 2014
I respect every fighter and especially the Diaz brothers. @NateDiaz209 an @nickdiaz209 always been cool guys to me and nothing bad to say
— Josh Thomson (@THEREALPUNK) May 4, 2014
Nate Diaz didn't buy it:
You got drunk talked a bunch of stupid shit when you woke up you panicked an #backpeddled #sorryasslittlebitch #whatreallyhappened #bereal
— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) May 5, 2014
---End of update---
Despite just a 2-3 mark in his past five fights, a good portion of pundits believe he was robbed in his losses to Henderson and upcoming UFC title challenger Gilbert Melendez.
According to the UFC's official rankings, "The Punk" has still solidified himself as the No. 4 lightweight in the world, despite the rough patch.
Thomson scored a big win over Nick's younger brother, Nate Diaz, at UFC on FOX 7 last April, becoming the first fighter to stop the Stockton bad boy with strikes.
Meanwhile, Nick Diaz retired from the cage after being dominated by then-welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre at UFC 158 in March of 2013.
The elder Diaz brother insists he has no intention of coming back unless he gets a title shot and/or a $500,000 fight purse, per Yahoo! Sports.
However, Thomson's strong words may cause him to reconsider.
Thomson is a career lightweight, while Nick Diaz hasn't cut down to 155 pounds since November of 2007.
However, based on the nature of his callout, it doesn't seem like the American Kickboxing Academy fighter would have a problem bulking up a bit for this grudge match.
UFC on FOX 12 takes place on July 26 in San Jose, California, Thomson's backyard.
Given the latest turn of events, is Thomson vs. Nick Diaz the perfect fight to book for one of the UFC's summer cards?
John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.