Two top contenders in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's (UFC) new featherweight division will go toe-to-toe in a bout that could potentially have a title shot hanging in the balance. Those two 145-pound warriors are teammates Mark Hominick and George Roop, both will meet inside the Octagon on Jan. 22 in a "Fight for the Troops" in Fort Hood, Texas.
Sources confirmed the bout with Heavy.com.
Following a disappointing submission loss to Rani Yahya in his World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) debut back in June 2007 and suffering another rear-naked choke loss in 2008 to now number one contender Josh Grispi, Hominick reevaluated things and went on a hot streak.
"The Machine" was on a mission to destroy everything in his path, submitting Savant Young at Affliction: "Banned" and earning his first victory in the WEC with an arm triangle that forced Bryan Caraway to tap. Hominick would go on to TKO Yves Jabouin and earn a split decision victory over Leonard Garcia, which extended his winning streak to four.
Does Hominick's teammate have what it takes to stop the momentum?
Roop has been on a roller coaster ride his whole career. Roop came up short in his UFC debut with a split-decision loss to Shane Nelson back in December 2008. He rebounded with a win over Dave Kaplan, but would be submitted by George Sotiropoulos at UFC 101. Roop decided to make his bantamweight debut in the WEC, but it wasn't a successful one.
The Team Tompkins member lost to Eddie Wineland by unanimous decision. Roop made his return to the 145-pound division in a thrilling three round battle with the "Bad Boy." The fight was declared a split draw. Going 0-1-1 in his last two fights, Roop needed to make a major statement if he was to be taken seriously as a top contender, he did just that against Chan Sung Jung.
In the second round of their bout at WEC 51, Roop connected with a head kick that left Sung Jung laying on the canvas out cold.
Already booked for the event, top lightweight contender Kenny Florian looks to rebound from a loss to Gray Maynard when he battles top prospect Evan Dunham. Also on the card, Melvin Guillard looks to extend his winning streak to four straight as he meets UFC veteran Yves Edwards. Matt Mitrione looks to build off his recent win over Joey Beltran when he takes on Tim Hague, who earned a spot back on the UFC roster after racking up two wins outside of the promotion.
For more details on UFC Fight Night 23 as they become available, stick with MMAmania.com.
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