A grueling encounter between world-class featherweights left Mark Hominick with a tennis ball-sized hematoma on his forehead and champion Jose Aldo barely able to stand.
In the co-main event, Aldo retained his title after 25 grueling minutes of hand-to-hand combat with the Canadian, securing a unanimous decision and, with it, a 12-fight winning streak. All three cageside judges scored it for the Brazilian: 50-43, 48-46 and 49-46. In defeat, Hominick won the champion’s respect.
“You’ve got to take your hat off and give it up for Mark Hominick,” Aldo said. “He’s a hell of a fighter. I knew he had good standup skills, but I came with my muay Thai [and was] very prepared.”
Aldo controlled vast stretches of the fight with his chopping low kicks, takedowns and power punches. He grounded Hominick four times in the first two rounds, opening a horizontal cut below the eye with a short, digging elbow. In round three, Aldo wobbled the challenger with a crisp left hook and dropped him with a straight right hand-left hook combination. He showered Hominick with hammerfists, but the courageous Canadian stayed in the fight, recaptured full guard and recovered from the onslaught.
“First off, I’d just like to say to my wife, I hope I didn’t put you into labor,” Hominick said. “I know you’re due any minute. I hope you’re OK.”
Aldo returned to his trademark low kicks in the fourth round and again put Hominick on the canvas, this time with a powerful right hand up the middle. On the ground, he fired off another elbow, which raised the grotesque swelling on Hominick’s head. The cageside physician took a long look at the challenger and allowed him to continue.
“I was never giving up,” Hominick said.
The Thamesford, Ontario, native had his moments. He utilized a stout jab and straight right hand, troubling Aldo in spurts. Hominick did all he could to erase his deficit in the fifth round, as he delivered a takedown on the fatigued champion and unleashed a stream of ground-and-pound from the top. The exhausted Aldo weathered the blows and maintained his stranglehold on the featherweight division.
The defeat was Hominick’s first inside the UFC.
“I think I just didn’t throw a lot of combinations,” he said. “I threw a lot of single shots. With Jose, I wanted to be one up on him, and I let him get one up on me. Then I started thinking about the takedown too much. I’ll come back stronger.”
Article according to Sherdog.com
