UFC 140: Mark Hominick Talks Deal with the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats

For Mark Hominick’s match against Jung Chan-Sung at UFC 140 in Toronto on Saturday, the Ontario-born featherweight will be donning a Hamilton Tiger-Cats hat on his way to the Octagon, and the team’s logo on his trunks.

“I’ve been working with (the Canadian Football League’s) Hamilton Tiger-Cats since my last fight—UFC 129 in Toronto—and they were interested in doing an MMA day at one of their games and bringing in an MMA fighter for an event,” Hominick, 29, recently explained to Bleacher Report. “When they learned that there was a fighter from Ontario that was fighting in the biggest UFC of all time, they decided that they wanted to get behind me.”

Hominick, who has attended upwards of a dozen Tiger-Cats games and considers himself a modest fan of football, was admittedly surprised to be contacted by the Hamilton-based squad, who have claimed eight Grey Cup championships since joining the CFL in 1950.

“It was crazy,” Hominick said with a laugh. “My manager—who is based out of Las Vegas—said he didn’t even know who the team was, but I remember going out to games with the kids and I take it as a huge honour.”

Despite being taken aback by the opportunity, Hominick, who has fought professionally for nearly a decade, is more than grateful for all of his sponsorships.

“There’s no question that I wouldn’t be able to compete at this level without sponsorships,” said Hominick, who is also sponsored by Eckō Unltd., Xyience and Headrush. “Sponsorships give you the ability to train full-time and be committed to this. This sport needs to be your primary focus.”

For Hominick, however, his deal with the Tiger-Cats—in which he is to host an off-season training session for the squad in—signals something greater than an ordinary sponsorship.

“There were times when I didn’t think the sport would be this big,” Hominick, who attended the University of Windsor, noted. “I have a business degree, and when I graduated, it was a very tough choice for me to see if I would pursue this full-time.”

“(This deal) sort of solidifies that we’re both mainstream. It’s pretty amazing (to be a part of a growing sport). For me, I was involved in the sport before it was popular. I remember fighting in front of small crowds—maybe 1,500 people—and then, all of a sudden, there were 55,000 people at my last fight. It’s pretty amazing to see the growth and be a part of it.”