MONTREAL -- Pablo Garza and Mark Hominick both entered the octagon as desperate men, needing to erase losing streaks that threaten their job security. It was Garza who got the job done.
The lanky featherweight overcame a rocky first round and used his wrestling and mat work to smother Hominick in the final two rounds en route to a unanimous decision victory in the UFC 154 pay-per-view opener. The judges scored it 29-27. 30-26, 29-28.
The two fought a furious first round, with Hominick getting the better of the standup exchanges, including a stinging left hook to the body that dropped Garza and led to some effective ground strikes.
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Garza altered his plan after that, however, taking Hominick down about 45 seconds into the second round and keeping the fight on the mat, where his steady attack won points. He bloodied Hominick with a left elbow midway through.
The third was very similar to the second, though Hominick briefly found his way back to his feet, but the rally was short lived as Garza dragged him back down and ran out the round in top position.
His two-fight losing streak now history, Garza moved to 12-3 overall.
Hominick has now dropped four in a row, with his career mark falling to 20-12.