What's next for Hominick, Ortiz?

If a fighter loses two times in a row in the UFC, he could be released.

It’s not a hard and fast rule, though, more at the discretion of president Dana White, and now the man who makes every move in the company, big or small, has to decide on the futures of legendary American Tito Ortiz and Canadian star Mark Hominick, both of whom had their winless streaks extended to two at UFC 140 at the Air Canada Centre on Saturday night.

Ortiz’s defeat came at 3:15 of the first round after taking a knee to the sternum from Rogerio Nogueira and falling to the canvas. Ortiz, a much-decorated light heavyweight in the UFC, absorbed numerous shots to the body while on the floor, including some that appeared to damage his ribs, before the fight was stopped. He was later taken to hospital and the early indication is a fractured or broken rib.

Hominick lasted all of seven seconds in his featherweight fight, knocked out by a right punch courtesy of Korean Chan Sung Jung. It tied the record for the fastest KO in UFC history. Back in April at the Rogers Centre when the UFC had its inaugural card in Toronto, Hominick went five full rounds in a title fight against champion Jose Aldo, before he simply ran out of time with the momentum clearly on his side. His latest defeat couldn’t have been more dramatically different.

But it’s up to White to decide going forward what to do with these two fighters. Does he release them purely on contractual terms, or take into account extenuating circumstances? In the case of Ortiz, whom White formerly managed through some turbulent times, although their relationship is now smooth, he’s still hugely popular and has done a lot for the organization. Ortiz wants to retire at the conclusion of his current contract, which ends in May, 2012, punctuating a 15-year career with the UFC with a fight against another former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin. The two have fought twice before, each winning once.

Ortiz is the self-acclaimed People's Champion and there is no question of his popularity. He holds the UFC record with five consecutive light heavyweight title defences and has been a building block for a company that is now starting to soar financially.

Going into the fight, Ortiz talked openly of his planned retirement, saying he doesn’t need the money and wants to enjoy a quality of life with his three children, participating in physical activities when he’s long since left the cage. He’s taken a pounding in his last two fights, so does White give him one last chance to hear the roar of the crowd, knowing it could also potentially lead to more punishment or does he sit him down and tell him it’s in Ortiz’s best interest to retire now gracefully?

And would Ortiz, who turns 37 in January, accept White’s decision?

This is really more about White making the right move in the best interest of the fighter, with whom he has had a long relationship, taking away his desire to retire on his own terms. White indicated after the card that Ortiz may have fought for the final time.

You couldn’t fault White if he ordered Ortiz to retire or constructed it in such a way that Ortiz made the decision on his own, so it appears as if the decision was his own doing. White gave Ortiz a chance earlier this to continue his career after losing his last three fights because he’d worked hard to overcome injuries, and it literally paid off with a win over up-and-comer Ryan Bader. But the euphoria that Ortiz experienced came to a crashing end a month later when he took on Rashad Evans as a late substitution and was beaten up badly.

Now he has lost two in a row, although you have to give him credit for fighting three times in a five-month span at the age of 36. But at what point is courage replaced by common sense? That is what White needs to evaluate.

Hominick’s situation is different. His UFC record is now 3-2, having lost his last two fights, but his latest loss comes only four months after the sudden death of his longtime coach and best man at his wedding, Shawn Tompkins, who died suddenly in his sleep in August at the age of 37. Heading into his fight in April, Hominick was eagerly awaiting the birth of his first child, a girl named Raeya, born a couple weeks after his emotional loss. Four months later, he came into his next fight with the thought of Tompkins still on his mind.

But did that constitute why he lost so soon into the match? According to Sportsnet’s Showdown Joe Ferraro, whom I talked to after the fight, Hominick made the mistake of not covering up after throwing a wild left, leaving him exposed and essentially giving his opponent a free shot with a right punch.

"I got a little too hyped up," Hominick said afterward. "I came out a little too wild. You’ve seen me fight before. I don’t usually fight that reckless."

He indicated that he wanted to make a statement in the fight because there were a lot of questions going into it for him following the passing of Tompkins and the dramatic defeat in April to Aldo.

"There was a lot of pressure and I wanted to silence any critics," he said. "It’s been a rough couple of months, but I’m not going to blame it on that."

Ferraro told me he expects White will give Hominick a "mulligan" based on the loss of Tompkins. If White decides to release Hominick, he would look like a heartless heel. White has been called a lot of things, both good and bad, but nothing even remotely close to that. Ferraro told me White has gone out of his way to help fighters, sometimes padding their paydays with some bonuses for well-deserved efforts.

The UFC does not have an association or union, so technically White can do whatever he wants. There are ways to get around a contract, some as simple as based on performance, in particular losing two in a row. Removing Hominick would be business, plain and simple.

White now faces two choices with two fighters, one who is nearing the end, another who appeared to just be slowly emerging as a star but has lost two chances to move upward. You can’t possibly compare Mark Hominick to Tito Ortiz in terms of their stature, name recognition, historic legacy and accomplishments, but their fates could be linked together based on what they did – or didn’t do – at UFC 140.

Perry Lefko keeps you connected to all the news in the CFL on Sportsnet.ca.