After original opponent Yves Jabouin was forced to withdraw due to an injury, Canadian striker Mark “The Machine” Hominick will face another tough test in his WEC return at WEC 46 on January 10th. Hominick is tentatively set to square off with EliteXC and Strikeforce veteran Bryan “Kid” Caraway in a featured featherweight bout on the card.

Caraway will be making his WEC debut after successful tenures in a variety of promotions in the Pacific Northwest, while Hominick, one of the top technical strikers in the division, looks to pick up his first WEC win.

Hominick (16-8-0) held the TKO Featherweight Championship until he was defeated by current Sengoku standout Hatsu Hioki in May of 2006. Known primarily as a kickboxer, Hominick also has a very solid ground game and has won six fights by tapout. Having gone the distance just four times, Hominick is an exciting fighter and enjoyed great success – with wins over Yves Edwards and Jorge Gurgel – in his brief tenure in the UFC’s lightweight division.

However, Hominick struggled in his first run in the WEC and was submitted by both Rani Yahya and Josh “The Fluke” Grispi. He is 3-3 in his last six fights and most recently stopped Trenell “Savant” Young at Affliction: “Banned” back in July of 2008. Due to Affliction’s closure and the cancellation of subsequent bouts in the WEC, Hominick has not competed since the fight with Young.

Caraway (14-3-0) has been a mainstay in the Oregon-based SportFight promotion since his professional debut in 2005. A skilled ground fighter, Caraway has earned 12 of his career victories by submission. He has battled tough competition in the featherweight division including final EliteXC Featherweight Champion and current Bellator star Wilson Reis.

With three straight wins since the loss to Reis, Caraway will look to take the jump from prospect status on event undercards into a title contender inside the WEC cage. Hominick’s questionable submission defence may prove to be the key to victory for Caraway as he aims to make a statement in his promotional debut.

WEC 46: “Varner vs Henderson” takes place on January 10, 2010 at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, California. The event is headlined by a WEC Lightweight Championship unification bout between Jamie “The Worm” Varner and Ben “Smooth” Henderson. It airs live on Versus in the U.S. and The Score in Canada.