Canadian striker Mark “The Machine” Hominick will return to action for the first time since the tragic loss of trainer and mentor Shawn Tompkins at UFC 140 on December 10th in Toronto, Ontario. Hominick will face “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung in a featured featherweight matchup on the card.

Verbal agreements are in place for the bout, which was officially announced by the UFC today. Hominick recently had a five-fight winning streak snapped when he challenged José Aldo for the UFC Featherweight Championship. Jung submitted rival Leonard “Bad Boy” Garcia with a twister in March.

Hominick (20-9-0) suffered first-round submission losses in his first two WEC bouts as a featherweight, but rebounded with three big victories in the promotion last year before it folded into the UFC. After stopping George Roop in his January to the UFC, Hominick received a shot at Aldo’s UFC title and had success late in the fight, but ultimately dropped a Unanimous Decision to the champion. He will now return to the cage for the first time since the passing of Tompkins in mid-August.

Jung (11-3-0) became an instant fan favourite after his all-out war with Garcia at WEC 48. Though he was arguably robbed of a victory by two cageside judges, Jung’s popularity skyrocketed following the fight. He suffered the first stoppage loss of his career in a September 2010 bout with Roop, however, and did not compete again under the WEC banner. In March, Jung rematched Garcia and stopped the New Mexico native with the rarely-seen twister submission with one second remaining in round two.

Both featherweights possess exciting striking styles, but Hominick and Jung are also competent on the ground and have combined for 15 submission victories. Hominick will compete in his home province of Ontario for the second straight time, and will no doubt have the support of family and friends following the loss of Tompkins.

UFC 140 takes place on December 10th at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)