Alaskan Justin Buchholz is gearing up to face The Ultimate Fighter winner Mac Danzig at UFC 109 as we approach February 6th.
First appearing in the UFC two years ago at UFC Fight Night 12, Buchholz has gone 1-3 in the promotion but this record belies the performances he has put in and the skill, durability and heart he has shown. Never a dull moment a Buchholz bout, the Team Alpha Male fighter will always show up to fight and has had great battles with Terry Etim, Matt Wiman and Jeremy Stephens before ultimately ending up with another notch in the loss column.

We caught up with Justin to get his take on the upcoming fight.

Justin, your UFC 109 bout with Mac Danzig is just a couple of weeks away. How has the training camp been so far and where have you been?

My camp has been great. I’ve never been one to take time away from the gym so I was back in as soon as I could after my last fight. My sparring and peaking has been perfect and I’m injury free so it’s been great! I train at Ultimate Fitness in Sacramento California with Team Alpha Male.

Your last outing was a cuts stoppage in the fight with Jeremy Stephens and it was a very entertaining bout up until that point. Could you just give us your reflections on that one?

That fight was gonna be one for the ages if my lousy skin would of held up! Stephens is the man and he caught me with some good shots and I’m a better fighter now for it.

Even in your UFC losses, they’ve always been entertaining fights. Does it mean a lot to you to provide fireworks for the fans or is that just your natural style?

That is just my natural style for sure, I can’t help myself. I try and fight "smart" or at a good pace but I get in there and just do everything I can to get my opponent out of there as soon as possible.

You’re coming up to a dangerous fight with Mac Danzig, who is especially known as a good submission guy. How have you been preparing specifically for that threat?

I’ve been eating lots of meat and doing a bunch more jiu-jitsu!

How do you see his skill set matching up with yours? Are there any particular weaknesses you’ll be looking to exploit?

He is pretty well rounded and has a lot of heart, the guy has been in the game for a long time and I respect that. We will see what happens when I come at him a hundred miles an hour.

Now, you’ll have heard this a few times in the lead up to this fight but it is being billed as a “loser leaves town” type matchup. Is there any added pressure due to this?

Absolutely no pressure. People take this fighting crap too seriously and that’s when you don’t perform.

How do you feel about potentially ending Danzig’s UFC career or him ending yours (for now at least)?

I feel great. He is a big enough name now where he can open a gym and do seminars and stuff. I still need to build my name and get some big wins.

You’re still young enough to bounce back should the worst happen. Do you think it’d be a good experience for you to head elsewhere for a while, build back some momentum and get some wins?

I’m here to stay bro.

Now, to fans it seems that guys are being cut after nearly every event. How does it work with the UFC, would they tell you they expect you to win your next fight or would it just get sprung on you?

I think it’s just sprung on you... Bottom line, I throw down every time. You can expect nothing less but a great fight every time I step in there and the UFC has definitely appreciated that. What I need to do now is start putting together some wins. I feel like the attitude is ‘yeah great, you’ve had some exciting fights but people care about a win/loss record so lets make it happen’.

Never mind the doom and gloom though, have you got any predictions for the fight?

I predict a great fight between two of the most well rounded guys in the game!

Cheers Justin, that’s about it. Any last words of wisdom for your fans?

The most powerful thing you can bring into a training camp is self belief. That applies to everything you do in this life as well. Thanks for the interview and don’t miss this fight – it’s on for free for Christ’s sake!

Confident and relaxed, Buchholz is prepared to lay it on the line once again as he prepares for his Octagon return. Make sure you don’t miss this one; it airs for free on Spike TV in the US before the main card is broadcast on PPV so there are no excuses!
 

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