Team Alpha Male has lost another head coach as Justin Buchholz has officially split with the Sacramento based gym.
Buchholz confirmed the news on Tuesday following an initial report from MMANytt.com.
Prior to his time as head coach and then as the lead Muay Thai instructor, Buchholz was a fighter who trained at Team Alpha Male working with previous head coaches such as Duane “Bang” Ludwig and Martin Kampmann.
In recent years, Buchholz had stepped up to a head coaching role with the team while working alongside fellow UFC veterans such as Danny Castillo and Chris Holdsworth, who have also taken a bigger hand in coaching duties with the gym.
“I’m not disappointed,” Buchholz said about his split with Team Alpha Male. “I’m not a guy who gets disappointed or stays on something that happened in the past or just to rest on my laurels. When I was a young man, I would think that accomplishing something really means something — but it’s what you plan on accomplishing.
“I did accomplish a lot and I still have that resume. That’s not going anywhere. I mean 2016 was the best year Team Alpha Male ever had. The amount of belts we won, the win- loss record and then capping it off with the 135-pound title. It was seriously the best year we’ve ever had.”
“I mean 2016 was the best year Team Alpha Male ever had. The amount of belts we won, the win- loss record and then capping it off with the 135-pound title. It was seriously the best year we’ve ever had.” ~ Justin Buchholz
Buchholz says he hasn’t been at Team Alpha Male since Darren Elkins’ last fight in mid-January. Team Alpha Male hasn’t made any official announcements regarding a new head coach following Buchholz’s exit.
There is a chance that Buchholz will still work with some of the fighters who trained with him at Team Alpha Male but he’s not going to name any names at this time.
“I will work with certain fighters,” Buchholz said. “I don’t want to mention who I’ll work with. That’s my business and their business.”
Buchholz is the third head coach to leave Team Alpha Male in recent years after a very public split with Duane “Bang” Ludwig as well as former UFC welterweight contender Martin Kampmann leaving the gym as well to focus on his family at home in Denmark.
As far as what comes next, Buchholz says that he’s received several offers already with gyms interested in retaining his services, but he’s undecided on whether he will coach a new team or potentially launch his own gym instead.
Buchholz knows he will bring value wherever he ends up and that’s why his split with Team Alpha Male isn’t bittersweet but instead just another chapter closed as he looks forward to the next one.
What are your thoughts on Justin Buchholz leaving Team Alpha Male and who will step up as the new head coach? Sound off in the comments.
