UFC 129 Results: Mark Hominick Emerges as a Canadian Hero

Photo by Ken Pishna via MMA Weekly.

UFC featherweight Mark Hominick didn't manage to dethrone champ Jose Aldo at UFC 129, but he did manage to show the sold out crowd of 55,000 Canadian fans what the term "determination" means.

Despite taking a beating that left him looking like the elephant man, Hominick kept coming back for more and actually ended the fight with a dominant fifth round wherein he put quite a beating on Aldo.

It wasn't enough to win the title, but it was enough to earn a $129,000 Fight of the Night bonus.

UFC President Dana White approved, from the press conference:

"To be honest with you, if [the doctor] would have stopped that at the end of the fourth round with the hematoma, it wouldn't have hurt my feelings one bit," UFC president Dana White admitted after the carnage-filled contest. "That's what you call a cosmetic injury, where people are sitting at home going, 'Holy [expletive].' It never looks good, but they aren't dangerous. It's just blood filling up in there. But that's the doctor's call. The doctor goes in there."

"He's a tiny guy with a huge heart," White said. "It was an awesome performance. I thought the doctor did a great job checking him and making sure he had peripheral vision and not stopping the fight. And then Hominick went out and went after it in the final round. It was awesome. I loved it."

Hominick spoke to the London Free Press after the fight (and a visit to the hospital):

"I'm fine. The forehead is good. It's really gone down a lot. I was worried the referee would stop the fight."

...
"The way it works is I'll probably get two more fights and then another title shot."

"Besides, I don't know if (Aldo) wants another piece of me," Hominick said.

The Toronto Sun added:

But as one Canadian MMA hero took his lumps to some degree on Saturday, a new homegrown hero has emerged - Thamesford, Ont., featherweight Mark Hominick, who lost a unanimous decision in the co-main event to UFC champion Jose Aldo, but certainly endeared himself to UFC fans everywhere with his incredibly gutsy performance against the champion. Hominick almost pulled off an upset with a stirring fifth round, despite suffering a horrific-looking hematoma on his forehead late in the fight.

UFC president Dana White declared the Hominick-Aldo bout the Fight of the Night, and most of those at the Rogers Centre certainly agreed with that assessment. Hominick's performance was one of those losses that actually enhanced his position as a fighter and he will almost certainly co-headline an upcoming UFC show in Canada.

A display of will and courage like Hominick's is what combat sports at its best is all about. Human beings being tested by brutal adversity and coming back for more. It's a rare thing and we should all applaud Mark Hominick and his well-earned moment in the spotlight.

After the jump, more UFC 129 news, analysis and results from Bloody Elbow.

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