Despite being the heavy underdog among the odds makers, former UFC lightweight contender Kenny Florian (14-5) feels that No. 1 bantamweight challenger Mark Hominick isn’t getting the respect he deserves.
Hominick will face UFC 145 pound champ Jose Aldo on April 30 in Toronto, in the co-main event of UFC 129 with odds makers putting Aldo at -500 and Hominick at +350.
Florian may find himself in the mix soon enough, as he drops to featherweight for his next fight, meeting Brazil’s Diego Nunes on June 11 at the upcoming UFC 131 card.
Speaking to UFC.com, Florian expressed his reasons for feeling that Hominick is more dangerous of an opponent than anyone thinks he is.
“People are not giving Hominick the credit that he deserves. And you have to look back at the history of who Aldo has faced. These weren’t very dangerous strikers that Aldo has gone against, and he’s picked these guys apart on the feet. In Hominick you have a very, very good striker, a guy with some of the best hands in the sport, let alone at 145, he’s very fast and he loves to pressure his opponents, and that’s one thing that Aldo really hasn’t had. Aldo’s been the aggressor, Aldo’s been the one going forward, and everyone’s been afraid of him. And I don’t think Hominick, with all his experience, is gonna be afraid and give him a chance to really get off. I think Hominick’s gonna go after him and really test his striking ability. Where Hominick is gonna be lacking is in the kicking game. That’s where Aldo has really done his most damage, so he’s really gonna have to be careful there.”