Garcia Requests Hominick for WEC 51

Leonard Garcia and Mark Hominick have verbally agreed to face off in a featherweight bout for the not-yet-announced WEC 51 on Sept. 30 at the 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, Colo., Sherdog has learned from multiple sources.

MMAWeekly.com was the first to report the bout on Thursday.

It's a matchup of previous “Fight of the Night” winners: Hominick earned the honor after his victory over Yves Jabouin at WEC 49, and Garcia's battle with Chan Sung Jung on the prelims of WEC 48 garnered the same recognition. Garcia's previous bout, a draw against George Roop at WEC 47, also won “Fight of the Night.”

Garcia, who trains at Jackson's MMA in Albuquerque, N.M., has had the Canadian on his mind ever since Hominick called him out following his second-round TKO of Jabouin last month.

“Actually I called (WEC matchmaker) Sean Shelby the night he called me out and told Sean just to set that fight up for September,” he said. “So I've known about it since that last card... So yeah, it's gonna happen.”

The Lubbock, Texas, native resumed training on Wednesday for the first time since suffering a broken right hand in his bout against Jung. He said that his hand feels 100 percent after going through physical therapy.

“It was good today. I don't have any question in my mind that it's going to be ready for the fight. On top of that, it's a little bit stronger now due to the amount of calcium that grew up in there,” he said.

In addition to his victory over Jung, Garcia also owns wins over Hiroyuki Takaya, Jens Pulver and Jameel Massouh during his WEC career.

His stand-and-bang fighting style tends to create exciting fights -- even if it frustrates his corner.

“I just have that fighting style. Even my coaches, they kind of hate (that) about my technique and my willingness to go out there and try to get into it and go. That's the only way I know,” he said. “Especially if it's a fight like Hominick -- somebody that can do what he does.

“He just had a 'Fight of the Night.' You have two guys who are known to be exciting to fight each other. How could you have a boring fight?”

Hominick has won his last three professional fights, defeating Savant Young at Affliction “Banned” and Bryan Caraway at WEC 46 before besting Jabouin.

“He obviously thinks he can beat me, or he wouldn't have called me out. He's got a lot of talent, a lot of skills, a lot of really good technique,” Garcia said.

When trainer Greg Jackson returns from vacation on Monday, Garcia expects his training camp for Hominick to begin in earnest. Once September 30 arrives he hopes to deliver the same type of entertainment that fight fans have come to expect when he steps in the cage, and acknowledges that his slugfest with Jung has only increased expectations.

“People know whenever they see me on the card they don't have to worry about a guy who's going to go out there and just try to win. I'm going to go out there and try to do it in the craziest fashion I know,” he said.