UFC 129 Fight Card Preview: Jose Aldo Vs Mark Hominick
UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo makes his long awaited promotional debut in what could be a tough fight with Mark Hominick. In addition to defending his UFC title for the first time, Aldo is going to have to do it in front of the biggest crowd in UFC history, the majority of which will be cheering for fellow Canadian Hominick.
Whether or not UFC jitters will affect Aldo is yet to be seen, but it always has to be taken into account when you take a look at the variables. There’s also the ring rust of not fighting for seven months. Hominick has been here before. He’s competed in the UFC and has nearly 30 fights under his belt. He’s on a five-fight win streak and is one of, if not the best, technical strikers in the featherweight division.
Aldo may be the sport's pound-for-pound king. At only 24 years of age, Aldo appears to be on a rampage of the featherweight division. After taking the WEC 145lbs crown from Mike Brown in 2009, Aldo has looked like an absolute machine. I don't believe he's lost a round in any fight of his I've ever seen. Right now, he may be his own biggest competition. Between the long neck injury layoff, the UFC jitters and the pressures that go along with being a UFC champion at such a young age, his biggest obstacles may all be mental.
Hominck’s overall game has dramatically improved from being a considered chiefly a striker a few years ago, but I’m not so sure he should throw out his greatest asset by trying to take Aldo to the mat. Aldo’s explosiveness doesn’t just translate to his striking, he can put the same amount of force into breaking free of submissions. I have to like Aldo in this fight.
