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Mark Hominick rides wave of confidence into Leonard Garcia matchup

Canadian featherweight says time to make title run is now

Mark Hominick Workout

Sam Morris

WEC fighter Mark Hominick works out for an upcoming fight Tuesday, September 21, 2010.

Mark Hominick Workout

WEC fighter Mark Hominick works out for an upcoming fight Tuesday, September 21, 2010. Launch slideshow »

Mark Hominick has strung together plenty of win streaks throughout his mixed-martial-arts career.

None of them, however, ever felt quite like the one he's on right now.

Hominick (18-8) will look to earn his fourth straight win Thursday when he meets Leonard Garcia (14-5-1) on the main card of the WEC 51 event in Broomfield, Colo.

The Canadian featherweight posted five consecutive wins in 2006, but says that run doesn't compare to what he's done lately — three straight stoppage wins, including an emotional victory over fellow countryman Yves Jabouin in June.

"These last two years, something has changed in me," Hominick said. "The biggest thing is my mentality. I'm not fearful of anybody.

"I've been on win streaks before, and it gets that confidence running. Everything starts working in training, and you know what you have to do. You just have to go out and prove it."

Hominick, who trains under Shawn Tompkins at the Tapout Training Center in Las Vegas, is eager to prove he's better than what he showed in his first two performances under the WEC banner, both of which were first-round loses.

The 28-year-old fell victim to a rear naked choke against Rani Yahya in his WEC debut in June 2007, only to come back and fight to the same result against Josh Grispi eight months later.

In the two years since, however, Hominick has gone from dealing with an uncertain future in the WEC to one of its top 155-pound contenders.

"I think he's just living up to what the WEC and myself thought he should be," Tompkins said. "I truly believe he's one of the top three strikers in the world when it comes to mixed martial arts."

Hominick certainly will have the opportunity to show off his standup against the durable Garcia, who is coming off an epic slugfest against Chan Sung Jung in April.

Garcia is a challenge Hominick's looking forward to, having requested him as his next opponent after earning the "Fight of the Night" bonus at WEC 49.

"First off, I think the matchup is exciting for fans," said Hominick, on why he asked for Garcia. "But it also makes sense in the rankings because we both are coming off 'Fight of the Year' candidates.

"He's been at the top of that mountain and fought for a title. He wants to get back there and that's where I'm heading, so it's a collision course to the top."

Although Garcia is considered a threat to anyone in the 145-pound division, Hominick and his team believe the matchup favors them significantly.

Known as a brawler-type, Garcia likes to stay in the pocket and throw looping, sometimes wild, punches.

According to Tompkins, although that style can be dangerous, it makes Garcia an easy opponent to prepare for.

"Leonard is a tough guy, there's no doubt about that. But if you're smart, he shouldn't be a hard game plan," Tompkins said. "There's nothing he's done in his last six fights differently. He's very easily tricked into a fight.

"He's been fortunate enough to look good with his striking, but he's never exchanged with a technical guy like Hominick before. If it goes to the ground, I don't think we're worried about that, either. Garcia is in trouble."

A win over a big-name opponent like Garcia could be just what Hominick needs to make his way to a title shot in 2011.

At the moment, Tompkins feels Hominick still is third in line for a chance to fight for the featherweight title.

Manny Gamburyan will take a crack at defending champion Jose Aldo in Thursday's main event. In November, Grispi will put his 10-fight win streak on the line against Erik Koch at WEC 52 in Las Vegas.

Depending on the results of those two fights, Hominick and his team are confident the run they've put together has him in a position to fight for the championship soon.

"At some point something switched for me where I said, 'This is my run,'" Hominick said. "This is my spot, and nothing is derailing me. That's the mentality I've brought. I'm going for my fourth win in a row, all within two rounds, so the formula is working.

"I think that's what's carrying me forward."

Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at LVSunFighting

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