Fourteen years after defending his featherweight title against Canadian Mark (The Machine) Hominick before 55,724 fans at UFC 129 at Toronto's Rogers Centre, UFC Hall of Famer Jose Aldo is still going strong.
Now 38 and campaigning as a bantamweight, Aldo (32-9-0) faces Canadian Aiemann Zahabi (12-2-0) on Saturday at UFC 315 in Montreal. And Hominick who retired in 2012, will be in the Bell Centre crowd as a guest of the UFC.
Hominick, who came back from the brink to give Aldo an anxious final round in April 2011, calls it his "career-defining moment."
"In that fight I don't think it mattered really about winning or losing, just for what I showed in that cage," he said years later. "It really illustrated who I was as a fighter and as a person as well."
Aldo came out swinging, taking Hominick down twice and finishing the first round with a 25-4 edge in significant strikes, according to UFC Stats. The significant strike count was 91-49 in Aldo's favour after four rounds, leaving Hominick with a hematoma the size of a small avocado on his forehead from a nasty elbow.
That prompted referee John McCarthy to halt the fight and have the ringside physician check Hominick before letting the fourth round continue.
"Mark, you can do this," Shawn Tompkins, his late trainer, told Hominick in his corner before the final round. "Championship round. You're a (expletive deleted) champion. All right? You're the best."
Hominick fought like it in a fifth round that saw him land his first takedown and outstrike a tiring Aldo 22-3 as the crowd went wild.
A bloodied Hominick, despite losing a 50-43, 48-46, 49-46 decision, made Aldo look human for the first time in a long time.
"It was awesome. Loved it,'' tweeted UFC president Dana White.
"Another day at the office," said Hominick, who called the fifth round "the culmination of probably 20 years."
The fight remains a vivid memory for Aldo.
"I remember everything perfectly," Aldo said through an interpreter. "That was an amazing event, 55,000 people. It was my first fight in the UFC 鈥� It was pretty amazing to see how Canadians loved the UFC."
Hominick's daughter Reaya arrived two weeks later. He used some of his $129,000 fight of the night bonus to top up her education fund. He also pared down his mortgage and bought himself a quad ATV.
Three losses later, he retired in December 2012 with a 20-12-0 record.
"I had my time 鈥� I knew that I gave my best, at my best, and it was time to focus on the next aspect of my life," he said.
Today the 42-year-old father of two runs Adrenaline MMA Fitness and Training Centre in London, Ont., with fellow former UFC fighter Sam (Hands of Stone) Stout, who will also be at Saturday's show.
Aldo retired himself in September 2022 but returned to action 20 months later. He has fought 19 times since Hominick called it quits, compiling an 11-8-0 record
The Toronto show marked Aldo's UFC debut after an 8-0-0 championship run in the World Extreme Cagefighting promotion. Today he is 14-8-0 in the UFC, losing a split decision to American Mario Bautista last time out at UFC 307 in October.
Aldo returned to Canada in 2018, stopping hard-nosed American Jeremy (Lil Heathen) Stephens in the first round of the co-main event of a UFC Fight Night card in Calgary.
Aldo, a father of two who is ranked 11th among bantamweights, is still after a title.
"It's definitely not a financial thing or anything like that," he said. "Whenever I don't have that goal or that motivation any more, I won't be fighting. That's what keeps driving me 鈥� to become the champion."
In announcing Aldo's induction to the UFC Hall of Fame in 2023, White calls the Brazilian "the greatest featherweight of all time."
Aldo entered the Hall with a string of records including most wins in UFC/WEC featherweight history (18), most title fight wins (11), most knockouts (11) and most finishes (11).
Of Aldo's losses, five came at the hands of fighters who have held the title. The Brazilian is 11-4 in championship bouts.
UFC 315 in Montreal will feature two championship bouts with Belal (Remember The Name) Muhammad and Valentina (Bullet) Shevchenko putting their titles on the line May 10 at the Bell Centre.
Zahabi, ranked 15th among 135-pound contenders, has won five straight since a decision loss to American Vince (Vandetta) Morales in July 2019. The 37-year-old from Montreal is 6-2-0 since joining the UFC in 2017.
Zahabi will have his older brother and renowned trainer Firas Zahabi and former UFC champion Georges St-Pierre in his corner.
"(GSP) just told me not to over-respect him," said the younger Zahabi. "He said he did that mistake against (former welterweight champion) Matt Hughes the first time around.
"And a lot of guys, they do it when they fight legends, so make sure not to over-respect him, just another guy, nothing special, you know. Not to disrespect his career, I just mean he's a human being."
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 8, 2025
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
