Mark Hominick Announces That He’s Retiring From MMA

UFC featherweight  fighter Mark Hominick has announced his retirement from the sport after a string of defeats.

“Over the last 11 years, I’ve followed my passion in the UFC,” Hominick stated on the ‘UFC Tonight’ show. “Now, I’ll say UFC 154 was my last fight in the Octagon as I’m retiring and moving on to next phase of my career.  I have a young daughter at home and another on the way. I’ll always be involved in the sport. But I know the commitment I have to make. I have to make a commitment to this as I have to fighting in the past.”

Hominick’s mind was made up after losing to Pablo Garcia by decision last month, his fourth defeat in a row inside the Octagon.

He had rejoined the UFC in 2011 following a three-fight win streak in the WEC, and after an impressive first round TKO win over George Roop he found himself in a title fight with Jose Aldo.

It was a tough fight that would end in defeat for Hominick, but he showed his heart and determination to last five rounds with the highly regarded 145lb kingpin, rallying late in the bout to put the champion under real pressure and earning ‘Fight Of The Night’ honors in the process.

Hominick suffered tragedy in August of that year when his long-time coach and friend Shawn Tompkins passed away at the age of 37.

Some say he’s never been the same since inside the cage, and indeed In his first fight after that in December of 2011 he fell victim to a seven second KO against ‘The Korean Zombie’, followed by a further two defeats.

It’s an unfortunate ending for ‘The Machine’ as on his day he was a very exciting and dynamic fighter to watch and he’s still only 30 years-old.

Still, with a 20-12 record overall he can still hold his head high and will be fondly remembered for his contribution to the sport.

Ross launched MMA Insight (previously FightOfTheNight.com) in 2009 as a way to channel his passion for the sport of mixed martial arts. He's since penned countless news stories and live fight reports along with dozens of feature articles as the lead writer for the site, reaching millions of fans in the process.