By Dwight Wakabayashi
Canadian mixed martial arts pioneer and UFC fighter Mark Hominick retired from fighting late on Tuesday night but it is clear in talking to many people on the local mixed martial arts scene that his influence and legacy will always be remembered.
I grew up just 45 minutes down the road from Mark’s home in Thamesford, Ont., and an hour from his training home at Adrenaline Training Center in London. Being nine years older than Mark, I followed combat sports and the UFC long before he made his professional debut.
As soon as Mark turned pro I followed his career closely as a fan while I was making my way in the hockey world and I was in awe as an aspiring athlete and I watched his career bloom under the guidance of Shawn Tompkins. I watched of all of his fights, and dreamed to one day shake his hand.
It was long after that time that I actually began writing for MMAcanada.net and got a chance to meet and interview The Machine. I have travelled to his gym many times and he has always welcomed me and everyone else with open arms.
They say that meeting role models and idols can sometimes be a disappointment, but that was certainly not the case with Mark. He was as cool a cat and as good of a person as I always thought he would be and he has always been gracious with his time.
Aside from personal experiences with Mark, he is entrenched in the sport in every positive way in Ontario and Canada and we are fortunate that that will not change with his retirement. He teaches youth programs, coaches and corners pro and amateur fighters, makes appearances all over the country to promote and educate on the sport and he has even gone to Parliament recently to lobby the government for consistent, countrywide legislation for the sport.
All the best to you and your family Mark. You are a true champion in every sense of the word and I thank you for showing us all the way.
Here is a tribute to Mark Hominick in the words of a number of local fighters, media, and other industry members…
Josh Hill – Professional Fighter – Score Fighting Series:
“He’s definitely a guy that I looked up to. Actually before I started training, I was watching Mark’s fights and once I started training and watching his fights he was somebody I looked up to and all those guys, I wanted to be in their position and do what they did and then once I got a bit of notoriety I actually met him and got a chance to train with him and he turned out to be an even nicer guy than I thought he would be. It’s been nothing but good things with him and he has always been a really nice guy to me and a great fighter.
“I really like watching his fight with (Yves) Jabouin, that was an awesome fight back in the WEC, and of course the (Jose) Aldo fight everybody loves that one and I was actually there watching that fight.”
Trevor Dueck – Writer – Sportsnet.ca/MMASucka/24Hrs Vancouver:
“The man they call “The Machine” will obviously be remembered for his exploits inside of a cage. There are many fights that Hominick was involved in throughout his career that will always stand out for me… Jose Aldo rings a bell. However, my fondest memory of Mark are all the times he joined me and Jeremy Brand on MMASucka Radio. I think many people in the media and who know him well can agree when I say this, Mark Hominick was very accessible, easy to talk to, and just a genuinely classy guy.
“He epitomized true ‘Canadiana.’ You could always call up Mark for an interview or a quick quote and he was more than happy to oblige. Anytime we had Mark on the show we would talk to him about his upcoming bout, but we would also just talk about fighting and life in general. You could just tell that he was a dude who loved the sport of MMA, his friends, his students and most of all his family. So to hear the news that Mark is hanging up the gloves, saddens me. What is great to know is that there are going to be some young Canadian fighters coming up in the game that will have one of the best around molding them into hopefully everything that Mark was.”
Chad Laprise – Professional Fighter – Bellator:
“He’s one of the fighters that I’ve always looked up to. I love the way that he fought, obviously his tools and he’s as tough as nails and he’s a warrior but just the way that he conducted himself. He is always such a professional and he’s a good role model for anybody, Canadians or anybody growing up in this sport and that’s why I really looked up to him.
“When I moved up to London, he didn’t know me at all but when I started training there he would talk to me every day, he’s not arrogant at all and he’s a guy that I try to model myself off of. Now, when a new guy comes into the gym, I’m like well Mark did that for me so I’m gonna do it for these guys.”
Matt Carson – Writer – Sympatico.ca Sports:
“Mark Hominick is responsible for, in my opinion, one of the greatest fifth-round comebacks in MMA and for that reason he will always have a special place in the sports history.
“His Rocky-esque comeback at UFC 129 against Jose Aldo had fifty five thousand fans on their feet and screaming in support of the Canadian featherweight. The crowd was so loud that I joked to the writer beside me that the people who live in the condos adjacent to the Rogers Centre might start filing noise complaints.
“Thanks for all the battles Mark.”
John Fraser – Professional Fighter – Score Fighting Series:
“I remember when I first started training at Team Tompkins I got the opportunity to spar with Mark Hominick while he was preparing for a title defence. It amazed me to see him spar 5 five-minute rounds with a new partner every 30 seconds, win every round and still be breathing normally at the end. That experience showed me the level of conditioning I would need to be an elite MMA athlete like Mark Hominick.”
Neil Springer – Writer – Sun Media:
“I spoke to him and he agrees that the Aldo fight was his defining moment, but for me, like many people, I remember knowing his name but not really knowing much about him when he fought Yves Edwards at UFC 58. I was surprised when he submitted Yves Edwards because Yves was one of the top lightweights in the world at the time. I was in college watching it with my friends.
“Mark’s always been an awesome fighter and one of the nicest guys at the same time. Very open and willing to answer any question at any time. I think they should give him an opportunity as an analyst for some of the FOX, FX or FUEL TV events.”
Mike Johnston – Digital Content Editor – Sportsnet.ca
“The first live MMA event I covered was WEC 49 in Edmonton in June 2010. At that event I was witness to in my opinion the greatest Canadian mixed martial arts contest of all-time. Hominick beat fellow Canadian Yves Jabouin in a back-and-forth classic. It was Father’s Day weekend and after his victory, he dedicated the win to his late dad. That’s the type of guy Mark is.
“Mark, whom I’ve spoken with more than I have any other fighter, was the first UFC veteran that I interviewed and if it weren’t for his cauliflower ears (which really aren’t too bad) there’s no way you’d guess he fought for a living judging by his demeanor. He truly is a gentleman and it’s always a pleasure catching up with him. Mark represents everything good about MMA inside and outside the cage.”
Alex Caporicci – Matchmaker – Score Fighting Series:
“From watching Hominick grow up in the regional shows to becoming one of the top fighters in the world, he is someone you can’t help but respect and cheer for. Mark has always been a genuine, first-rate human being and a true ambassador of the sport. As he transitions to the next stage of his career, the future looks bright as all young fighters should strive to be like him. His leadership will lead them on the right path. I wish him the best of luck in the future and hope to work with him in the future.”
Brad Taschuk – MMA Writer – Sportsnet.ca/Tazmma.wordpress.com:
“While Mark Hominick has had many great moments in his MMA career, the most enduring one for me will always be his UFC debut. He was brought in as an opponent for the man considered to be the “uncrowned” lightweight champion, Yves Edwards, but rather than play to the script Hominick had his own plan that night.
“The first round was a back-and-forth striking battle which would become the staple of most memorable Hominick fights, but it was the second round where we saw the Thamesford, Ont., native make waves. First, he hurt Edwards with body shots to the liver, and on the ensuing takedown he submitted his opponent with a Triangle-Armbar. Not only was it a great moment for Hominick, but for all Canadian MMA.”
James Brydon – MMA Managing Digital Editor – Sportsnet.ca:
“I first met Mark Hominick in person in September 2007 at a TKO Championship Fighting event in Montreal that I was covering for Sportsnet.ca. I had already been following his career, but the chance to meet him in person and see him fight live — he went out that Friday and put away Ben Greer in just over a minute using his patented crisp striking, enthusiastically snapping a two-fight losing streak in the process — is something I won’t soon forget.
“He was an absolute class act, easy to talk to, and that hasn’t changed one bit over the course of his career. Even when he became an overnight star after his thrilling and gutsy five-round war with Jose Aldo at UFC 129, he would still always make it a point to make time for me for interviews and just to chat whenever we would run into each other. While he fell on hard times in his MMA career of late, he will be sorely missed as one of the good guys and one of the most exciting fighters to watch, even in his losses. I wish him, his wife Ashley and his whole family all the best in the next chapter of his life.”
Shawn Smith – MMA writer – Sportsnet.ca/MMASucka.com:
“As someone who grew up less than an hour away from Mark Hominick, I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the fellow Ontarian. Watching his TKO bouts against Hatsu Hioki are some of my first real memories of getting into mixed martial arts. Hominick will always be remembered as a polite ambassador of the sport and a warrior inside of the cage.”
The Machine will be sorely missed in the cage, but his effect on people and his legacy in the sport will not be forgotten.
Dwight Wakabayashi is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report UFC and regular contributor to Sportsnet.ca’s UFC section. Follow him on Twitter @wakafightermma.
