Mark Hominick – George Roop & the MMA Winners & Losers
By Ben Bieker
This column will be about fighters who have the most to gain from their upcoming fights, and who has the most to lose. It can be the fights that can hurt their career, chance at a title shot, or give them the ability to do the same but in a positive light.
Most to Gain
1) George Roop has the most to gain out of this fight because after having a rough stretch in his last fight he had a big win over the Korean Zombie Chang Sung Jung. With that win he has made a bit of headway in the Featherweight division, and with another win he could be very close to a title shot after just two wins. A lot of that has to do with him going up against the potential number one contender for Jose Aldo’s belt, but the fact of the matter is that if he is able to beat Mark Hominick. Who was guaranteed a title shot if he wins this fight, George could potentially usurp his title shot too.
This is why George is the person at the top of the list with the most to gain. A title shot, a potential top ten ranking, and the biggest win of his career ride on him winning this fight. It can be a lot of pressure for one fighter to be under, and we will see if George will be able to hold up come Friday, but if he does and delivers he will be in a whole new tier of fighting.
2) Tim Hague has not had the best career in the UFC, it is not to say that he is not a good fighter. It is to say that he may have just not been able to show it in his previous fights. With a record like 1-3 in octagon fights some probably wonder why he is still in the UFC. Given he was released and this is his first fight back, but his fights add to Dana White’s old adage that if you come to fight you will most likely still have a job in the UFC. Tim only has one win in the UFC over Pat Barry, but he also has a tough controversial loss to Chris Tuchscherer. Here he has a good chance to get a win over a streaking heavyweight.
To be in the co-main event slot after being on a 3 fight losing streak in the UFC Tim is in a good spot to get a huge upset. Also, the relative inexperience of his opponent, who only has three fights, could make it a good spot for Tim to use that to his advantage. That is why Tim is second on the list, and George is only above him because if his career could have title implications if he wins.
3) Cody Mckenzie is seen in most people’s eyes as a one trick pony. He has a really slick guillotine, but that is about it. In this fight, he takes on Yves Edwards, and to be honest most people don’t even know if his previous opponents have the ability to block that type of choke. In facing Yves he is facing someone who will undoubtedly have the advantage in every aspect of the game, and someone who will be able to defend that choke. So, if he is able to overcome all of that and win then he will prove a lot of things to a lot of people. That is why he comes in at third because if he is able to win it will be the first time that Cody will be able to win over a superior opponent, the last time he fought one he was stopped by Nam Phan.
Most to Lose
1) Mike Thomas Brown has a lot to lose in this fight because after going 2-3 in his last five fights he could potentially make it 2-4 and 0-2 in his last two fights. That is not a good spot to be in no matter how good of a fighter you are, and especially for a former world champion. Regardless of tough opponents, or personal turmoil a fighter should not be getting in the cage if he thinks outside entities are going to force him to not fight to his full ability. Mike s a good fighter, but one also has to question about getting back in the cage so soon after a loss if he is ready to fight again.
Now, he is not at the top of this list just because he is on a bad losing streak, it also has to do with the quality of his opponent. Mike is fighting Rani Yahya who is also on a bad losing streak. On his own two fight losing streak, and moving up a weight class for the first time in a few years it would look like Rani has the deck stacked against him. It is one of those scenarios where 9 times out of 10 he should lose, but this MMA so he still has a chance to win no matter what. So that is why Mike Brown tops the list because he could see himself outside the organization with a loss and to someone he should beat.
2) Pat Barry is someone who a lot of people had pegged a lot of hope on coming into his UFC career. While they knew he was not the most well rounded fighter, they knew he had the potential to be very dynamic. Coming off a stint as a very good kick boxer he came into the MMA world hailed as he next big fighter from kickboxing, and he showed it for his first few fights. He came into the UFC on the heels of a 3-0 win streak which was punctuated since all of his wins were by some sort of kick. Then he took his first fight in the UFC and had a repeat performance by stopping his first opponent by leg kicks. Then he had a slip ups against Tim Hague and Mirko Cro Cop, which sandwiched his win over Antonio Hardonk.
He was seemingly backing up his credentials because he was winning impressively, and was winning most of his losses before they turned into losses. That is his major problem too, is that Pat lacks the killer instinct. If he was sable to sync up his ability with the mindset of a Thiago Silva he would be near unstoppable. Plus, in addition his opponent, Joey Beltran, was already beaten by one of Pat’s training partners, the relatively inexperienced Matt Mitrione, which means Pat should have the inside scoop on how to beat Beltran. That is why he comes in at number two, because with a loss here Pat’s train will have lost all its steam especially considering this loss would be against someone who he should know how to beat.
3) Mark Hominick is on this list because of two reasons. He has a title shot on the line, and he should be able to dominate George Roop. If he is defeated by Roop it will be a sad day because he is the better standup fighter hands down, and Roop has stated he will only fight standing up. So, if Roop is able to do to Mark what he did to Chang, then Mark is in for a world of disappointment. That is not to say it won’t happen, but when you are world class at something, like striking which Mark is, then you shouldn’t lose at that aspect of the game. That is half the problem though.
The other half comes from the fact that he does have a title shot on the line. With a win he gets to fight for the belt, which is every fighters dream. If he losses he has to work his way back up. So, the fact of the matter is Mark needs to win if he wants to make a legitimate legacy in this sport. like he said Jose Aldo has never fought a striker like him before so he needs to prove his mantle in this fight, if he wants that claim to hold any meaning.