UFC 145 preview: Mark Hominick looks to end losing skid against Eddie Yagin

The UFC 145 event will feature a featherweight bout between former number one contender Mark Hominick and MMA veteran Eddie Yagin that’s set for Atlanta, Georgia, this weekend. It’s a crucial bout for Hominick who has lost two consecutive fights after winning five straight and earning a title shot against Jose Aldo back at UFC 129. Yagin looks to raise his stock after losing a unanimous decision in his UFC debut at UFC 135 last year.

Eddie Yagin (15-5-1) comes into this bout off the loss to Junior Assuncao last September in his debut. Yagin has been competing in MMA since 2000 and trains with Alliance MMA which is the home of UFC fighters like Phil Davis and UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz. Yagin has won five fights via submission and five bouts via TKO/KO, and holds a win over inaugural Bellator champion Joe Soto.

Mark Hominick (20-10) comes into this bout off the big upset loss to Chan Sung-Jung (The Korean Zombie) in his last outing. Hominick came out overconfident and got countered with a huge right hand after missing with a wild left hook to lose via KO in just seven seconds at UFC 140. Prior to that loss, Hominick lost his shot at UFC gold when Jose Aldo bested him over five rounds to win a unanimous decision in one of 2011’s most exciting fights. Hominick has won nine fights via TKO/KO and seven via submission.

Both of these fighters are veterans and are well versed in most aspects of MMA. The key thing that sticks out to me is the different level of competition both have faced. Yagin has been in the game longer, but Hominick has more fights while fighting tougher competition. I also think Hominick is the more well rounded fighter between the two. He’s certainly the better striker as he lands way more strikes per minute according to Fightmetric, while also having better takedown defense.

Hominick will look to keep the fight standing, but will probably be a bit more cautious than his last outing. He certainly can’t afford to lose his third fight in a row, so I expect him to take what Yagin gives him which will be lots of leg kicks and jabs. Yagin will probably look to strike just enough with Hominick that he can set up takedowns and work from the top position. He’ll have a slight reach advantage over Hominick, but I don’t think it’s of any significance in this matchup as Hominick could score with leg kicks at will from distance with his kickboxing background.

I like Hominick in this one via decision. I think he fights a safe fight to get back in the win column.