Team Alpha Male coach Justin Buchholz returns to MMA with soccer kick stoppage win

Since January 2016, Justin Buchholz has focused on his head coaching position at Sacramento’s Team Alpha Male. He turned the team around over the past nearly two years, working with and cornering some of the best in the game, including UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt.

But he returned to MMA competition himself earlier this week. Buchholz defeated Marques Facine by first-round TKO at Alaska Fighting Championship 133 in Anchorage, Alaska on Wednesday night.

However, it wasn’t a clear victory; Facine slipped just minutes into the fight, and Buchholz unloaded a quintet of soccer kicks to his opponent’s body. The sixth and final kick (presumably accidentally) hit Facine’s head/neck, and after a few moments of confusion, Facine could not continue. And because the referee declared the illegal blow accidental and said it did not affect the match’s outcome, per the ring announcer, Buchholz was awarded a TKO victory.

Check out a clip of the finish:

Buchholz (16-10) hadn’t fought since October 2015, when he was finished by Ernest Chavez. Going into the bout in his native Alaska, the 34-year-old was riding a three-fight skid. This was his first win since May 2013.

Buchholz went 1-4 in the UFC from 2008 to 2010.