UFC 145 Results: 5 Fights to Get Mark Hominick Back on Track

Poor Mark Hominick. He goes from putting on a Fight of the Year in front of 55,000 hometown fans to losing his coach and best friend and hitting a skid against guys he should be beating. He's lost three in a row with his setback at the hands of Eddie Yagin in Atlanta, a dreaded streak for anyone on the UFC roster.

What can the promotion do to get him back on track?

Here are some possible tilts that might help him out.

Maximo Blanco

After an uneventful loss to Marcus Brimage on the UFC 145 prelims, Blanco isn’t exactly seen as a world beater. Unfortunately, at this point in time, neither is Hominick.

Blanco is a grappler by trade, which is the type of guy who should give The Machine some trouble on paper. However, Hominick is a notoriously underrated grappler in his own right, and it might be a chance for him to show those chops and get a win for himself when factoring in his stand-up advantage.

Then again, it’s risky. If Blanco can cling to him and ride out a decision, it would be a loss that would be irreparable for the former title challenger.

Even so, Hominick would be heavily favoured and could look good in a win.

Pablo Garza

An interesting style matchup, Garza will fight in a couple of weeks at UFC on FOX 3. Regardless of the outcome, he’d be a good fight for Hominick.

Hominick has an edge in the striking department (as he does on most at featherweight), but Garza may be a little more polished in terms of submissions. Neither is known for wrestling, so it’s probably a wash.

It’s a tough fight for both guys, and neither would come off looking bad in a loss. Still, it would be hard to overlook Hominick’s experience, and his advantage standing is bigger than any disadvantage he could have elsewhere, so he’d likely come out ahead.

Leonard Garcia

“Bad Boy” is the ultimate slumpbuster for a guy with technical stand-up and a willingness to use it. Add to that fact that Hominick already beat him in their WEC days via split decision, and there could be enough fuel there to warrant a second meeting between them.

Both are guys who love a fight, and with Garcia’s incredible durability and Hominick’s in-and-out kickboxing, it’s the ultimate “irresistible force vs. immovable object” fight. Garcia is booked to fight in June; however, a couple of months off to get his head clear and tighten up some things might be just what Hominick needs.

Make this fight for a card in Canada in the fall and watch the sparks fly.

Josh Grispi

There was a time when Grispi was seen as one of the hottest 145-pound prospects in the game. Losses to Dustin Poirier and George Roop have put that fire out in a hurry, though, and now the man once booked to face Jose Aldo is in limbo.

Stylistically, Hominick would be a nightmare matchup for him on account of his stand-up and power. On the other hand, having two guys who have gone from top contenders to fighting for a job over the course of a year or so is a lock to produce excitement.

A win over someone once so highly touted—and still so young—would look great on The Machine’s resume, though, and against Grispi it would be quite attainable.

Cole Miller

A notoriously tough out, Miller made his UFC name as a lightweight before dropping back to featherweight early in 2012. In his career, he’s 9-3 at the weight class; however, he’s 0-1 there in the world’s biggest promotion.

His jiu-jitsu game is off the charts, but he’s not a particularly skilled wrestler or judoka, so he sometimes has trouble implementing that part of his game. Conversely, his striking is only a little bit above rudimentary, so if he couldn’t make Hominick sweat by getting it to the ground, the scrappy Canuck is likely looking at an easy win.

A solid name who can give him trouble if he’s not careful seems exactly what Hominick could use to get on track, and this one would be guaranteed fun for fans to take in.