Justin Buchholz (born August 22, 1983) is a Filipino-American former mixed martial arts fighter. A professional from 2005 until 2018, he fought in the UFC, EliteXC and World Series of Fighting.

Background

Buchholz graduated from Lathrop High School in Fairbanks, Alaska in 2002, where he competed in wrestling.

Mixed martial arts career

Buchholz is a former ICON Sport and Showdown Fights lightweight champion. He has also fought in EliteXC and he held an 8–1 record before signing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Ultimate Fighting Championship

He lost his first UFC fight at UFC Fight Night 12 against Matt Wiman on January 23, 2008. He earned his first victory at UFC 86 against TUF 5 contestant and three-to-one favorite, Corey Hill. Buchholz was defeated by Terry Etim via D'Arce choke at UFC 99. They traded heavy kicks and punches for the first few minutes of the bout before Buchholz landed a hard right hand which broke Etim's nose. Etim was able to survive the round and landed some hard leg kicks in round two, before hurting Buchholz with multiple knees from the clinch. A scramble ensued before the fight went to the mat and from there Etim was able to lock in a D'Arce choke to finish the fight. In his next fight, Buchholz faced Jeremy Stephens, where he lost due to a cut in the first round. Buchholz was defeated by Mac Danzig on February 6, 2010, at UFC 109. He was subsequently released from the UFC.

Independent

Buchholz fell to a fourth straight defeat in his first post-UFC fight on February 25, 2011; he lost to Jason Meaders via technical knockout (doctor stoppage) in the first round. Buchholz picked up a win on April 16, 2011, defeating Steve Sharp by submission (rear naked choke) in the first round. Buchholz then fought fellow UFC veteran Steve Lopez on May 21, 2011, at SCC: Superior Cage Combat 1. Buchholz won by a kick. Buchholz defeated Thiago Meller via unanimous decision on August 20, 2011, at SCC: Superior Cage Combat 2. Buchholz had a rematch with Clay Collard, which he lost by split decision. On September 20, 2017, Buchholz accepted a short notice fight against Marques Facine at AFC 133 and won via TKO in the first round. Facine fell off the mat and Buchholz started unleashing soccer kicks to the body; his last attempt grazed Facine's head before the referee called for a stoppage. The referee awarded the win to Buchholz; he called the last kick as accidental and it did not decide the outcome of the fight as Facine was defenseless in absorbing the kicks to the body.

Personal life

Buchholz briefly co-hosted a bi-weekly Live MMA show/podcast, Stud Radio (formerly TAM Radio), and continued to corner fighters. In January 2016 he became one of Team Alpha Male coaches alongside Urijah Faber and Danny Castillo. He was kicked off the team in January 2018.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record