THE BREAKDOWN: TKO 28 "INEVITABLE"

In Canada, Quebec has become the national epicenter for mixed martial arts, which is no wonder considering the pool of talent that has emerged from the province in recent years. One thing professional French-Canadian fighters such as David Loiseau, Patrick Cote, Steve Vigneault, Jonathan Goulet and Georges St. Pierre share in common, besides their place of birth, is that each got their feet wet in MMA, fighting in the TKO promotion.

With the sport still unsanctioned in several of the country’s provinces, the popular Montreal-based promotion has also served as a launch pad for several other Canadian fighters’ professional careers. Two such fighters are Sam Stout and Mark “The Machine” Hominick of the acclaimed London Ontario-based Team Tompkins, who have fought the majority of their professional fights for the Canadian MMA organization. Both are hoping to walk out of the Bell Centre as champions on tonight.

Stout (10-2-1) will be defending his Lightweight Championship against Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Fabio Holanda (4-4). He faces a tough opponent in Holanda, a member of Brazilian Top Team Canada, but has clear advantages in fight experience and striking ability. Expect Stout to display a sharper ground game honed by a training camp with Dan Henderson’s Team Quest branch.

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