It's a fair criticism considering his inability to put away "The Machine," whose nickname was never more evident than during their five-round war, despite having him hurt multiple times in the fight.
Aldo was asked about his performance and had this to say:
"The way I felt was, I never underestimated Mark Hominick. I knew that he was a tough guy and I knew that he had heavy hands and that if one of us made the wrong move, either one of us could have been knocked out. But I tried to mix it up, take him to the ground and if I couldn't submit him or I couldn't knock him out, I knew that I was able to go all five rounds very strong. ... Mark Hominick is a super tough fighter and I expected that. As you saw, I landed some good punches, I knocked him down quite a few times in the fight but I just wasn't able to finish.""Junior" was the clear winner after 25 minutes but it was Hominick that earned himself all the glory.
He battled through a nasty bowling ball sized hematoma on his forehead, not to mention a swollen up face with cuts all over it, to not only make it to the judges scorecards but emphatically win the final round.
The largest crowd in UFC history at the Rogers Centre in Toronto witnessed a gritty performance from their hometown hero and showered him with affection accordingly.
But what about the featherweight champion? This was his moment to shine, in his Octagon debut, but his opponent stole the show. Anyone still convinced he's one of the pound-for-pound best in the world? Or had a change of heart?
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