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Mark Hominick's featherweight championship bout against Jose Aldo at UFC 129 in Toronto last April triggered a period of emotional highs and lows the fighter nicknamed "The Machine" isn't accustomed to talking about.

After appearing in front of a record crowd of 55,000 at the Rogers Centre and inspiring worldwide praise, he become a father for the first time in May, but lost his best friend and mentor in August, when trainer Shawn Tompkins died of a heart attack at 37.

His year comes full circle Saturday, when Hominick steps into the octagon to face Jung Chan-Sung at UFC 140 in Toronto's Air Canada Centre.

"I never really believed I could be a world champion until I started working with Shawn and he told me I could do it," the 29-year-old said in a recent interview. "I believed him then, and I still believe it now."

Along with London-based MMA fighters Sam Stout and Chris Horodecki – members of "Team Tompkins" – Hominick lived all those clichéd stories about the fighter's long, hard road to the top. He trained with Tompkins for more than a decade in relative obscurity, mostly in Southwestern Ontario.

"We packed 12 guys in a van for a 10-hour drive to go compete somewhere," Hominick said. "We slept on floors or mats to save money. Whatever it took."

Tompkins preached a simple philosophy: be committed to hard work. The mixed martial artists became like family, inside and outside the ring. When one fought, the other three were in the corner. When Tompkins married Stout's sister, his three fighters were in the wedding party.

Tompkins stood as best man at Hominick's wedding.

Then, came UFC 129, as Hominick fought for a world title at the largest MMA event in North American history. Though Hominick lost by decision, he became an instant celebrity with an exciting rally in the final round, fighting on despite grotesque swelling on his forehead and a deep gash under his eye.

"Right before I went out to the cage, Shawn said to me 'Enjoy this moment. This is what it has been all about all these years,' " Hominick said. "Looking back, it's like we reached a dream together that night."

The phone started ringing shortly after he got home and didn't stop. As fans lauded the action, sponsorship opportunities came in from a number of companies and he became the face of UFC in Southern Ontario.

His wife, Ashley, gave birth to their daughter, Raeya, in mid-May. Life, both professionally and personally, had never been so good.

And then, the unthinkable: Tompkins died in his sleep of a heart attack brought on by an undiagnosed enlarged heart and blocked arteries.

"It was such a crushing blow to all of us to lose him," Stout said. "We've been training together for 10 years, since we were kids, and thought of ourselves as a family. Shawn was the father figure."

Hominick said the only way to deal with the shock and sadness was to lean on the other members of Team Tompkins for support.

"It has been tough, but sometimes a tragedy brings people closer together," he said. "It's our responsibility to carry on what Shawn started. We lean on the strength he instilled in all of us to step up in the moments you don't feel so confident."

On Saturday, Hominick gets a chance to show that while his mentor is gone, Team Tompkins is alive and well.

It will be the first time Hominick has stepped into the octagon without Tompkins in his corner. In his place will be his brother, Frank – Hominick's way of making sure a little piece of Shawn is in the building.

"I want to write the end of the story from my last fight," Hominick said. "Even though I've been fighting professionally for 11 years, I feel like that night really started my career.

"I want to carry that momentum forward. … The way I cement his legacy is to go out there and perform, so that's what I'm going to do."

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