In a perfect example of the constant evolution and growth of a mixed martial artist, Mark “The Machine” Hominick has some very different things in store for “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung on Saturday night. “I’m coming out guns blazin’.” Hominick s…
In a perfect example of the constant evolution and growth of a mixed martial artist, Mark “The Machine” Hominick has some very different things in store for “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung on Saturday night.
“I’m coming out guns blazin’.” Hominick stated as a new improvement to his game.
“I’ve made mistakes in the past in my fights. If you look at any of my losses, they’ve been early losses like in the first round, and it’s because I think a lot of times I pace myself to gain momentum as the fight goes on. Especially with a fighter like Korean Zombie, I have to be ready to go right off the first bell.”
It is an essential element in martial arts to be humble and truthful with yourself and correct your weaknesses, and Hominick is a master of mixed martial arts. When I asked him what he felt was the main issue that he had to correct from the Aldo fight, he was crystal clear.
“I think the wrestling. The takedowns he scored changed the pace of the fight, and without that I think I would have won the fight, so you definitely have to constantly improve and be humble knowing that you have to improve.”
“If you look at the best fighters in this sport, like Georges St-Pierre, every fight he comes in he re-invents himself, guys like Rashad Evans, they come in with a new skill set and that’s the constant evolution that you have to be working at.”
With all due respect to Georges St-Pierre, Hominick is the best pure-precision striker that our country has, and I can’t wait to see him get it on with The Zombie on Saturday.
See the full video to see hear much more from “The Machine,” as he talks about his crazy year, his tribute to his coach, Shawn Tompkins, on Saturday night but….he would not say what he has planned for his walk to the cage!
Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA and correspondent for MMACanada.net.
The UFC 140 open workouts were held this afternoon at Extreme Couture in Etobicoke with headline fighters Jon Jones, Lyoto Machida, Tito Ortiz, Frank Mir and The Nogueria brothers. The workouts were open to the media and the public and a couple hundred…
The UFC 140 open workouts were held this afternoon at Extreme Couture in Etobicoke with headline fighters Jon Jones, Lyoto Machida, Tito Ortiz, Frank Mir and The Nogueria brothers. The workouts were open to the media and the public and a couple hundred fans and media packed the state of the art facility.
Lyoto Machida was the first to enter the gym and take the mat where he hit the pads, did a light shadow box and performed a short kata for the fans (Please see the video for up-close footage of Machida’s kata and comments).
This is Machida’s second consecutive fight in Toronto after he fought and knocked out legend Randy Couture at UFC 129 in April. Couture was clearly the fan favorite in that matchup and Machida is hoping things are different this time around.
“That victory and that fight was very important for me because I have a lot of respect for Randy Couture and to come up here to a place where Randy Couture has a lot of fans it was much different because I’m not used to having most of the fans on my opponent’s side,” Machida stated through his interpreter.
“But I want the fans to understand I am a professional, I respect Randy a lot and hopefully this time around I would be glad to accept the fans on my side,” he laughed.
It is tough to be the man to send a beloved legend so violently into retirement, but the perfectly executed crane kick brought on a karate revival in the minds and hearts of many, bringing up memories of the 80s classic flick The Karate Kid.
That revival must have had something to do with Machida getting a title shot in his next fight—something he was not really expecting.
“To be honest with you it was a big surprise because of the way that things were working out with the contenders and the fighters and also Jon Jones having the title and will be fighting now four times and that’s a lot for a guy to be fighting in a year so it’s definitely a big surprise.”It’s also pretty clear that Machida did feel a bit worried after he turned down the Rashad Evans fight.
“Also with me not taking that fight and all those different things that were going around so I’m very happy. I feel I am in a much more mature stage in my life, I am more experienced now.
I’ve experienced what it’s like to be a champion, I’ve experienced what it’s like to lose, I’ve experienced what it’s like to be knocked out, and I’ve experienced what it’s like to come back and have a big win. I just feel as a fighter and a man I’m more mature and more prepared than I was last year.”
I can’t wait to see if he is prepared enough to handle Jon Jones.
Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA and correspondent for MMACanada.net.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship and the Toronto Police held a community works event this afternoon at the Rogers Center, and the message they sent to the kids in attendance was loud and clear. Bullying needs to stop, and we are all respons…
The Ultimate Fighting Championship and the Toronto Police held a community works event this afternoon at the Rogers Center, and the message they sent to the kids in attendance was loud and clear.
Bullying needs to stop, and we are all responsible for doing our own part to stop it.
Rogers Sportsnet MMA journalist and host of UFC Central “Showdown” Joe Ferraro was the Master of Ceremonies and UFC fighters Sam Stout, Mark Hominick, Matt Mitrione and Sean Pierson were on hand to speak to a large crowd of school kids about bullying, what it is in all forms, and what steps we can all take to make a difference in stopping it.
The event kicked off with the incredibly chilling YouTube video of Jonah Mowry on the Rogers Center big screen, and then UFC lightweight Sam Stout took the stage along with Toronto police officer Hooper to speak and educate those in attendance.
“You know a lot of people have been asking, well, why are they having UFC fighters come in and talk about bullying, guys that fight for a living, why are they talking about bullying? To me, fighting and bullying are two totally different things. I fight for the UFC, I train every day for it, I’m a professional. The guys I’m fighting are willing participants,” Stout opened.
“The difference between that and bullying is that bullying is one person that wants nothing to do with it, and one or more than one person attacking them. It doesn’t just mean physical abuse, there’s tons of different kinds of bullying that all needs to be stopped,” he continued.
Stout spoke in length and shared an experience he had in high school where his friend was being bullied and he stepped in, supported his “unpopular” friend and put a stop to it. Nothing physical had to be done.
UFC heavyweight and former NFL player Matt Mitrione then took the floor and told his inspiring story of how he made it to the NFL despite the many naysayers he encountered in life.
“You can get out and do what you want to do. Believe in it and don’t get hustled by anyone else. Walk to the beat of your own hustle. Be your own musician, dance to your own music and you’ll always be able to do what you want to do.”
After the speakers were finished, the kids were then able to come down to the Rogers Center floor and meet the fighters for autographs and pictures.
Despite some push back from the public on how wise it is to have Ultimate Fighters speaking on anti-bullying, the event delivered an important message, and is a perfect example of how the UFC gives back to the community’s that support them.
In April, the UFC pledged $129,000 to help at risk youth across Canada, and the Cabbagetown Youth Center has been the first to reap the benefits receiving a grant to buy all new sports equipment.
Please see the video attached for highlights of the event.
Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA and correspondent for MMACanada.net.
The Mixed Martial Arts Expo rolled into the Pearson International Center in Mississauga this past Saturday, December 3, and many UFC fighters and stars were on hand to thrill Ontario fans. UFC fighters Clay Guida, Melvin Guillard, Carlos Condit, Sam St…
The Mixed Martial Arts Expo rolled into the Pearson International Center in Mississauga this past Saturday, December 3, and many UFC fighters and stars were on hand to thrill Ontario fans.
UFC fighters Clay Guida, Melvin Guillard, Carlos Condit, Sam Stout, Matt Mitrione, Stefan Struve and Jake Shields made appearances and signed autographs for the fans.
Bleacher Report MMA was on the scene to get some video footage and talk to UFC stars such as Mac Danzig, Ryan Ford, Carlos Newton and Brittney Palmer (See the video for all interviews and fighter appearances).
Thousands of fans were in attendance for the MMA Expo, which is in its sixth year of existence. The event proved a great opportunity for fans to mix and mingle with their favorite UFC stars and personalities.
The Expo also hosted the NAGA Toronto grappling and jiu jitsu championships in the same hall, featuring all ages and all levels of grappling from beginner to expert.
MMA Expo president Gerald Chopik deemed the event a success due to the strong turnout, and the atmosphere was clearly electric and felt by all.
“Thank you for helping making it the best show ever. Every fighter/celebrity I spoke with said it was an awesome time and they love the Toronto fans and atmosphere best of all,” Chopik posted on facebook.
The action and fun doesn’t stop there for MMA fans in the Greater Toronto Area, as UFC 140 takes place this Saturday, December 10.
Please check in here all week for all of my UFC 140 event week coverage
Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA and correspondent for MMACanada.net.
Chris “The Menace” Clements delivered everything he wanted to tonight in a third round TKO victory over UFC veteran Rich Clementi. The first round saw Clementi take Clements down and engage in a serious leg lock battle which Clements calmly defended an…
Chris “The Menace” Clements delivered everything he wanted to tonight in a third round TKO victory over UFC veteran Rich Clementi.
The first round saw Clementi take Clements down and engage in a serious leg lock battle which Clements calmly defended and even attacked himself. Clementi had dominant position for the round.
“The first jiu jitsu course I took was Frank Shamrock leg locks and I trained them a lot so I wasn’t too concerned and I actually thought I might get him in one.” Clements stated confidently in his in cage post fight interview.
The second round saw more ground fighting for the first three minutes with neither fighter getting an edge. Clements did some damage from the bottom with elbows and then took control of Clementi to end the round.
The third round saw Clements come out confident and throwing and he caught Clementi with a back fist and dropped him. From there it was all “The Menace” and Clementi was left bloody when the referee stopped it in the middle of the third round.
“I know Rich is good on the ground so I actually didn’t want to come in and go for the knockout. I wanted to showcase my skills a bit, show that I am more than a power puncher. Rich only has a few TKO losses and one was due to injury so I’m pretty proud of how it finished.”
Clements is now on a four-fight winning streak, has knockouts over two UFC veterans in those fights and should be considered for another step up in his career.
Jesse “The Body Snatcher” Ronson put on one of the most brilliant and technically sound striking displays in Canadian mixed martial arts history in his second round victory over veteran Tony Hervey. There were knockout predictions flying from both men before this one and Ronson was the man to deliver on the finish.
“The Body Snatcher” picked apart Hervey with straight, precise and damaging shots pretty much from the get go in this one and he dropped Hervey violently a couple of times. In the end it was his striking dominance that hurt Hervey and opened him up for the rear naked choke finish.
“Adrenaline is the best striking gym in Canada, North America, maybe even the world. Striking…you don’t want to do that with us.” He declared in his interview, and I don’t think he is that far off.
“I want to fight in March for The Score and I want that show in my hometown of London!”
Ronson had a right to be boastful of himself and the camp that the late great coach Shawn Tompkins started, and where he spends his time day in and day out. His performance was nothing short of masterful against a very tough fighter.
Both Ronson and Clements should be looking for bigger and better fights in the very near future.
In the main event of the evening, hometown hero and veteran fighter John “The Haggis Basher” Fraser ran through his opponent Travis Reddinger in a very predictable mismatch.
Fraser came out walked through a couple punches, pinned Reddinger to the cage and slammed him down in his patented slam. He then worked a little ground and pound to open up Reddinger for the rear naked choke win midway through the first round
Full Results:
Daron Cruickshank defeats Jesse Gross via TKO 1:39 1st Round
Misha Cirkunov defeats Ali Mokdad via unanimous decision
Jesse Ronson defeats Tony Hervey via rear naked choke 2:45 2nd Round
Ryan Dickson defeats Josh Taveirne via submission 4:03 1st Round
Jason Meisel defeats Joel Paquette via rear naked choke submission 2:47 1st Round
Randy Turner defeats Clint Kingsbury TKO 3:40 2nd Round
Hudson defeats Blake Nash TKO 2:17 1st Round
Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA and correspondent for MMACanada.net.
Former UFC Heavyweight champion Frank Mir says he has nothing to prove in his second bout with Antonio Rodrigo Nogeuira, but his words on today’s UFC 140 media conference call paints quite a different picture. Mir was asked by Damon Martin of MMAWeekly…
Former UFC Heavyweight champion Frank Mir says he has nothing to prove in his second bout with Antonio Rodrigo Nogeuira, but his words on today’s UFC 140 media conference call paints quite a different picture.
Mir was asked by Damon Martin of MMAWeekly.com if he was surprised that this rematch was made after such a clear cut victory in the first one.
“Obviously the first fight was not so clear cut based on a lot of words, circumstances so I do feel that due to injuries or what not that there is some unfinished business.” Mir stated in a recent blog on Sportsnet.ca that he has nothing to prove in this second meeting with Nogueira but did admit he was bothered by all the post-fight injury talk and had his own perspective about revealing injuries after a fight.
“It did bother me yes, I mean if the injury affects the outcome sure, like if you are asked why you didn’t use your boxing much and you say you have a broken hand, well that’s legit. But anytime a guy explains poor performance with injuries and doesn’t acknowledge I lost because the guy in front of you beat you, I feel it’s disrespectful”
Mir is the longest serving heavyweight in the UFC, has the most victories in the UFC of any heavyweight at 13, and has held the title twice. He was asked if he sees himself right in the title mix in 2012?
“I think so, if i get a win in this fight I will be on a three fight winning streak so I don’t see why not.
It has been over two years since he fought Nogueira and many wonder how each fighter has evolved in that time and if there has been a significant change in Big Nog’s style in that time.
“After so many fights, I don’t really see much of a style drift in him, it’s pretty much locked in. The big difference I see may be in his confidence coming off his last win in Brazil. Sometimes it’s confidence that is the difference between executing a technique.”
In all of his years in mixed martial arts, Mir has never fought for the fans in Canada and was asked about that.
“I’ve been up there many times before with appearances and etc., and it’s amazing. We think we get pretty good recognition and support here in the States but it increases dramatically the minute we cross the border.”
Frank Mir faces Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 140 on December 10th from the Air Canada Center in Toronto.
In a perfect example of the constant evolution and growth of a mixed martial artist, Mark “The Machine” Hominick has some very different things in store for “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung on Saturday night.