UFC 140 will be in Toronto on Saturday December 10th at the Air Canada Center. It’s the second foray into what Dana White likes to call the Mecca of MMA. There are seven Canadians competing. One of the good ol’ Canadian kids on the card is London Ontario’s Mark Hominick (20-9) who had a chance to talk to MMASucka.com about his seven month emotional roller coaster.
The last time we saw “The Machine” was back in April at UFC 129. That was the first time the UFC touched down in Toronto and put on a massive show at Rogers Center. At that event, Hominick went to war in a title fight with the UFC’s current featherweight king in Jose Aldo (20-1). It was nearly a storybook finish as Hominick had Aldo in some trouble in the late rounds and came close to the come-from-behind victory. Aldo was able to survive and win a well-deserved unanimous decision. Hominick took the loss and a large hematoma on his head as a parting gift for his courageous effort.
It’s been a real thrill for the Thamesford, Ontario native being able to fight twice in the same year in front of family and friends during the first year of Ontario sanctioning the sport.
“It’s definitely been surreal. I’m going into my 11th year of fighting professionally now, and I’m happy to finally get the opportunity to fight in my home province. I have definitely been blessed with the opportunity to fight in front of the home crowd and I am not going to disappoint.”
It is true that after UFC 129 Mark Hominick became a household name for casual UFC fans. He showed a ton of heart and determination in a contest that won fight of the night honors. However, for Mark, a loss is still a loss and he is ready to make amends.
“You know I look at the fight in two ways. In one way it made my career. Everybody in the MMA community, the fans and the UFC took notice and remembers that performance and I’m definitely thankful for that. But I also look back and I lost. People are going to remember the battle and what not, but when you look at your record there is a win and a loss, and I’m the one holding the loss. A lot of times in this sport you are only as good as your last fight and that is why with this upcoming fight I need to make a statement.”
It’s that competitive fire that fuels “The Machine.” People have called him a freak of nature when it comes to his training regime at the Adrenaline Training Center in London Ontario. It’s something he is proud of.
“I love what I do. I love training and pushing myself because I don’t like being second place. I like the idea of winning and I have always been motivated to win. I train so hard because I don’t want anyone to be working harder than me and that’s the attitude I like to bring to the gym everyday. When you’re training for a fight it’s all about consistency. It’s not about training hard one day or for a week. It’s about consistently working your ass off and that’s what I pride myself in doing.”
On deck is “The Korean Zombie” himself, Chan Sung Jung (11-3) at UFC 140. On paper this is a tough fight. Jung came off a brilliant victory at UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Davis back in March, when he put Leonard Garcia into a Twister or Spine Crank for the submission win. It was the first time that move was used in the UFC. Jung isn’t afraid to stand and bang, but Hominick believes that the Korean is just as dangerous on the ground.
“He is really well rounded and that’s something people forget. Everyone looks at his fighting spirit and the way he likes to throw down but look at his last performance on the mat. He has had a lot of submission wins, so he has a very strong ground game. I’m really sure he is going to have a game plan to take me down.”
For Hominick, the key could be to frustrate the South Korean and see if he can get Jung to throw caution to the wind and unleash the Zombie.
“I think he is one of those fighters that when he gets hit, he kind of goes into autopilot like most fighters do. Whenever you are in a fight and you get hit or get in trouble, you’re going to go to your instincts. His instincts are to fight back, unlike a lot of guys who get hit and they either turn away or dive for a take down. If we start to mix it up standing I think he is probably going to welcome that.”
Although this fight has the makings of a brawl, Hominick believes technique will rule the day. This is more than just a fight; he would like for it to be a message.
“I’m going in there to finish him. Whether it’s on the feet or on the mat. There are a lot of questions leading up to this and I want to answer them with my performance. I really want to show where I am at in my career, in the division, and you know without Shawn.”
You knew the name of the late Shawn Tompkins was going to enter into this interview. How could it not? It’s part of the story. It’s one of the toughest losses that Hominick has had to deal with thus far in his personal life and career.
Tompkins was one of the best trainers in the sport. Having been a big part of Xtreme Couture and Tap Out Training Center, he was also a good friend and trainer for the likes of Hominick, Sam Stout and Chris Horodecki at Adrenaline Training Center. Last August 14th in Hamilton, Ontario, Shawn died in his sleep from a heart attack. It’s a day that Hominick still has a hard time talking about without getting emotional.
“He had been in Vegas for the last few years but he would come up here or I would go down there but he spent a month, part of July and most of August up here (London Ontario.) I don’t know it was weird it was almost like he was saying goodbye to everyone. He hadn’t stayed that long in a long time. He stayed at my house because my wife and I had a new baby girl and he wanted to meet her. He hung out with friends that he use to hang with in high school. He met up with friends that he hadn’t seen in a long time. It was really tough because we were hanging out that day and he was just having a great time. He called me that night and that was the last time I spoke to him. I found out the next morning he had passed away in his sleep. It was a shock to all and so unexpected. It was devastating and to tell you the truth I don’t think it has hit me yet.”
It’s pent up emotion that obviously hasn’t been fully reckoned with. For Hominick and others, Tompkins was more than just a coach.
“He was the best man at my wedding. He was a lot of different things to all of us not just our coach. He was so many things to so many people. He had that ability to have a special relationship with everyone he met. It didn’t matter if you met him for a minute or knew him for years, he had that bond with you that would last.”
It’s that raw emotion that can eat away at you if you allow it to. But for Hominick that emotion will be unleashed in training and in the Octagon at UFC 140. In everything he does he wants to honor his late friend’s legacy.
“It’s been tough but if anything it has brought the team together because we have all had to rely on each other to fill in some of the void that Shawn left. This is how we are carrying Shawn’s legacy on is by fighting in a cage, to go in and win and that’s what I’m going to do.”
Shawn Tompkins’s spirit will be in Mark Hominick’s corner on December 10th. The fight game goes on. All though a big void is left, the circle of life still rolls along. Hominick still gets to be a professional fighter and a new dad. Six-month year old daughters require a lot of attention too.
“You start to learn that your time is not your time anymore. Everything is focused around the baby, which is amazing. It’s been a whirlwind and I have just loved every minute of it. She likes to smile at me everyday and she has changed my life.”
great interview
mark will beat the zombie