Elite coach’s short notice fighting return ends with controversial knockout

Justin Buchholz is one of the best coaches in MMA right now.

Team Alpha Male's Justin Buchholz is the coach behind UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt, streaking UFC featherweight contender Darren Elkins and rising UFC strawweight star Cynthia Calvillo. Buchholz is a professional fighter, but until Wednesday, he had not graced a cage for nearly two years. He stepped in on short notice to take on Marques Facine at Alaska Fighting Championship 133. While the fight ended in a first-round TKO victory for Buchholz, it wasn't exactly smooth-sailing. The finish came after his opponent slipped during an exchange. Rather than follow him down to the mat, Buchholz remained on his feet and unleashed a devastating flurry of soccer kicks to the body. The final kick grazed the back of his head and the referee was forced to step in and bring proceedings to a halt. https://twitter.com/Mr_Honky/status/910737277604655104 Immediately after eating the illegal blow, Facine rolled over and laid prone on the canvas while the medical team checked him out. Bucholz was clearly restless not knowing how the fight was going to be scored. He kept pacing around the cage, talked to the referee before finally giving up, sitting down against the fence and conversing with his team. "He has up to 30 days to recover," boomed out of the stadium's PA system, which gave the crowd and Buchholz a chuckle. After several minutes, Facine was transported out of the cage in a stretcher and the fight was called off. Buchholz was awarded the knockout win as the referee deemed that the final strike was accidental and did not decide the outcome of the fight. The result improved his professional record to 16-10, snapping a three-fight skid.