Team Alpha Male coach Justin Buchholz sends opponent out on stretcher in MMA return

Team Alpha Male head coach Justin Buchholz isn’t in Japan this weekend cornering Teruto Ishihara. Instead, he was competing in a fight of his own at Alaska Fighting Championship 133, where he sent his opponent out on a stretcher.

Buchholz (16-10) returned to MMA competition for the first time in nearly two years on Wednesday, when he accepted a short-notice bout with Marques Facine (14-15) at AFC 133, which took place at Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage and streamed live on UFC Fight Pass.

Although Buchholz, 34, won by first-round TKO for his first victory since May 2013, it wasn’t the smoothest of stoppages. His opponent slipped during an exchange, and instead of following Facine to the mat, Buchholz unleashed a flurry of five soccer kicks to the body. The sixth attempt went slightly off target, grazing Facine in the back of the head/neck area.

Immediately after the blow, Facine rolled back to the canvas and laid flat for several minutes. The on-site medical team brought a stretcher into the cage and loaded Facine on, while Buchholz waited, uncertain of what verdict was to come.

According to the ring announcer for the event, the referee decided the final strike was accidental and did not ultimately decide the outcome of the contest. Therefor, Buchholz was awarded a TKO victory in the bizarre finish (via Twitter):

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