The UFC’s first trip to Toronto was a colossal affair.
UFC 129 took place at what I will forever call SkyDome, with more than 55,000 people in attendance, massive screens posted throughout the venue to make it easier for those in the nosebleeds to see the action, which seemed miles away in the cavernous baseball stadium. The co-main event featured Aldo defending his featherweight title for the first time in a clash with Hominick, who was fighting in his home province for the first time in his career, just a handful of days before his wife was set to give birth to their first child.
There was a Hollywood ending element to it all — a “how cool would it be if Hominick could pull it off, winning the title in his homecoming, then racing to the hospital with his pregnant wife?”
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For the first four rounds, Aldo was having none of it. The Brazilian legend took the fight to his counterpart from London, Ontario, displaying the speed, quickness, and all-around elite skills that made him a dominant force atop the division while leaving Hominick sporting the worst hematoma anyone has ever seen in the UFC prior to Joanna Jedrzejczyk in her first bout with Zhang Weili.
But as Aldo began to fade in the final round, Hominick continued to push, leading to moments where the Canadian had everyone thinking something magical might happen. He worked from top position, trying to pound out the finish as the largest crowd in UFC history (at the time) tried to vocally will him to victory.
The final horn sounded and Hominick fell short, but it was still a Hollywood ending; Rockyrather than Rocky II.
