Hominick Believes Technical Striking Will Challenge Aldo

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Mark Hominick has high praise for Jose Aldo. He considers him one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, well deserving of the acclaim he’s received.

Of course, Hominick doesn’t think Aldo has fought anyone with his striking prowess, though.

“He’s definitely fought the best of the best, and he’s taken them out, but I don’t think there’s anybody in the division with my kind of striking skills,” Hominick said recently on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show. “I think I present a lot of problems.”

Hominick challenges the UFC featherweight champion Saturday at UFC 129. He might have a case that Aldo hasn’t taken on an opponent with quite the standup arsenal of his own.

“It’s very technical,” Hominick explained when asked what about his style could give Aldo problems. “You see a lot of guys in MMA, they’re somewhat wild in their technique. I feel I’m really technical. I put a lot of pressure. And my hand speed. I think those are three things that can present problems to anybody.”

Hominick is quick to add, however, that Aldo is just as dangerous on the feet. The Brazilian has demolished his opposition standing, but he’s also an adept grappler.

“I think he likes to fight fire with fire,” Hominick said. “He likes to prove that he’s better anywhere. … He’s a black belt in jiu-jitsu, a world champion in jiu-jitsu. If we’re going in there treating it like it’s a kickboxing bout, we’re in the wrong sport. I’m ready everywhere, wherever the fight goes.”

Hominick cites Aldo’s well-rounded game as his greatest asset. The Canadian also noted what a great athlete his opponent is.

“He could do a back flip off the top of the cage,” Hominick said. “That’s the kind of explosive athlete he is. He has that capability. We have to be definitely wary that he can go from zero to 100 in any aspect, from the knees to the kicks to the punches to the ground.”

While Aldo has explosiveness on his side, Hominick sees conditioning and speed as two advantages he’ll have over the champ. Crowd support could be another factor. The UFC has sold 55,000 tickets to the event, which takes place at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. As a Canadian, Hominick will likely have the local support.

“This crowd’s like triple the size of anything I’ve ever fought in front of,” Hominick said. “I’ve fought in front of 20,000 before. It’s hard to say until you’re there. I’m focused on the task at hand, and inside the cage, the crowd normally doesn’t play too much of a factor. But again, the size and magnitude of this event is so much larger than anyone’s ever seen.”

Listen to the full interview (beginning at 41:14).