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Monday, Mar 12, 2012

Mark Hominick on UFC 140 Loss: “I Fought Out of Character and I Paid the Price”

Veteran Hoping to Resume Title Run at UFC 145

By Kelsey Mowatt

Heading into UFC 140 last December, Mark Hominick was ferociously determined to end the year on a high note, after suffering the loss of his longtime friend and renowned trainer Shawn Tompkins that summer. In addition, the 29 year-old vet was looking to rebound from his unanimous decision loss to UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo in April, and a win over the resilient Chan Sung Jung would have been a great way to set the table for 2012. Unfortunately for Hominick, however, the December 10th bout went far from according to plan.

“I’m not looking for any excuses; I fought out of character and I paid the price,” Hominick told FCF, while discussing the quick knockout loss he incurred versus Jung. “But looking back, you know, I wanted to win so bad that I did fight out of character. I think part of that was I really wanted to carry on the legacy of Shawn, and I wanted to do that by going out and winning. Again, to win, means to fight and perform how you know best and I didn’t do that.”

UFC 140 of course took place in Toronto, Ontario, which not only is close to Hominick’s homebase of London, but it’s also the city that hosted the noted striker’s memorable bout with Aldo.

“I feel like I’m a fighter who performs well under pressure, and usually has a cool head, so again, it was so out of character for me,” Hominick added, when asked if the location of UFC 140 also played a factor in what transpired that night. “Maybe there was a lot of things at play, but at the end of the day, it’s still me that pulled the trigger and I’m the only one to blame.”

Now, Hominick (20-10) will look to rebound from back-to-losses–the first he’s incurred since 2007–when he takes on fellow vet Eddie Yagin at UFC 145 on April 21st.

“Right away I knew who he was,” said Hominick about Yagin. “Maybe some people, if they only follow the UFC might not know who he is, but I remember back in 2002 fighting on a card and he was one of the headliners…I’ve watched him for years, and I’m excited to be facing a veteran of the sport.”

The 32 year-old Yagin is coming off an unsuccessful Octagon debut in September, as he lost by unanimous decision to Junior Assuncao at UFC 135. Prior to the loss, the Hawaiian fighter had worked his way into the UFC by going 7-1 since 2006.

“I think he’s tightened up his ground game a lot,” Hominick noted about Yagin, who has transitioned to California’s Alliance MMA team  “I think in the past he often came out super aggressively, ready to throw down, and super dynamic. I think the biggest improvement has been his ground game. Moving out to San Diego has definitely improved his skills.”

As a result of Yagin’s strength, the 5’8 tall Hominick concedes that he’ll look to exploit the range and reach advantage he’ll enjoy over his 5’5 opponent.

“For sure, I have to use what I have as an advantage and that’s definitely one of them,” Hominick said. “Pick my shots. If you watch his fights he loads up on a lot of his shots, so playing on the outside is the smart fight.”

After ascending the featherweight rankings with a five fight win streak from July, 2008, through January of last year, now Hominick is focused on avoiding a third consecutive loss.

“I’m  just taking it one fight at a time,” said Hominick. “I want to get to the point where people in unison are saying ‘he’s the number one guy.’”

 

Photo via Adrenaline MMA

posted by FCF Staff @ 8:00 am
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