Mark Hominick at UFC 129 – April 30, 2011
After the WEC merged with the UFC in October 2010, Aldo was crowned the UFC’s inaugural featherweight champion, and the Brazilian made his first title defense on one of the biggest nights in UFC history.
UFC 129 saw 55,724 fans pack the Rogers Centre in Toronto in what, at the time, was the biggest crowd in UFC history. If Aldo had any big-stage jitters, he didn’t let them show as he engaged in an entertaining back-and-forth war with Canadian contender Mark Hominick that earned “Fight of the Night” honors.
Aldo wasn’t at his very best during the fight – he was on antibiotics in the week leading up to fight week in Canada – but on his UFC debut, he stepped up, fought at less than 100 percent and turned back the challenge of Hominick, whose gutsy performance in defeat won plenty of plaudits.
The scores of 48-45, 48-46 and 49-46 showed that, although Hominick was competitive, Aldo had enough in reserve to make sure he walked away from his first UFC title defense with his belt intact
Next up: A crushing defeat