UFC 145 Fight Card Primer: Mark Hominick Vs. Eddie Yagin

Photo by Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans features Featherweight action as former #1 contender Mark Hominick (20-10; 3-2 UFC) faces Eddie Yagin (15-5-1; 0-1 UFC). This is the second of six fights on the UFC 145 PPV card. Hominick is currently ranked as the #13 Featherweight in the world according to the USA TODAY / MMA Nation Consensus MMA Rankings, with Yagin unranked. The PPV card begins Saturday, April 21 at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.

With due respect to Yagin, I think the story of this fight is all about Hominick. He's lost his past two UFC fights, and is fighting without long-time mentor Shawn Tompkins for just the 2nd time. There's a lot of pressure on Hominick here. The question is - will he thrive under that pressure, or will it prove to be too much?

How do these two stack up?

Hominick: 29 years old | 5'8" | 68.5" reach
Yagin: 33 years old | 5'7"

What have these two done recently?

Hominick: L - Chan Sung Jung (KO) | L - Jose Aldo (UD) | W - George Roop (TKO)
Yagin: L - Junior Assuncao (UD) | W - Joe Soto (Sub) | W - Joe Neri (TKO)

How did these two get here?

Mark "The Machine" Hominick is one of the finest technical strikers in all of MMA. He's had a long career fighting all over the world and using the superb kickboxing skills honed under coach Shawn Tompkins to great success. His greatest fame came last year when he challenged Jose Aldo for the UFC Featherweight title at UFC 129, losing a good fight but showing a ton of heart. After that fight, Tompkins, both his mentor and very close friend, died. Fighting without Tompkins in his corner, Hominick was upset by Chan Sung Jung in a 7 second KO at UFC 140. With back to back losses, he needs a win here.

Eddie Yagin has been a pro fighter for 11 years. He spent the majority of his early career fighting on the regional scene in his home in Hawaii. A few years ago, he made the move to the California scene and began training with Alliance MMA. In 2011 he scored the biggest win of his career, defeating former Bellator champion Joe Soto to become the Tachi Palace Fights Featherweight champion. Before he could defend that belt, he was signed by the UFC, where he lost his debut against Junior Assuncao at UFC 135.

Why should you care?

Plain and simple, because you want to know if Mark Hominick is back. When he's on, he is one of the most exciting strikers in the sport, and that's something I hope to see Saturday night.

UFC 145: Jones Vs. Evans - Mark Hominick Vs. Eddie Yagin Dissection

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