Written by Hurtsbad MMA Analyst Michael Schilling

On Thursday February 16th MMA history will be made when Superior Cage Combat crowns there first ever lightweight champion when Team Alpha Male fighter Justin Buchholz takes on Xtreme Couture fighter John Gunderson.

These two UFC veterans will have their hands full as they try to claim the inaugural SCC lightweight championship.

SCC matchmaker Joey Varner recently said “Justin Buchholz is an explosive and dynamic fighter. His style of fighting is always exciting and very pleasing for the fans. He's got an arsenal of devastating unorthodox kicks that he unloads on his opponents.”

If you saw his fight with UFC veteran Steve Lopez at SCC 1 you know what kind of kicks Varner is talking about. Late in the third round Justin landed a front kick to the face of Steve that ended the fight and earned him knockout of the night.  

With Justin it is not just the kicks you have to worry about as he has won as many fights by knockout as he has won by submission. Knowing that this could go all five rounds Justin has made sure to be ready if that happens.

Justin said the fact that this is a five round fight doesn’t scare him either. “I’m very excited to fight five rounds for the SCC title. I’ve sparred double in preparation. My cardio is on a world-class level. After winning my first decision in 16 fights against (Thiago) Meller at SCC 2 it made me really focus on cardio, now I can't wait for 5 x 5”

Justin comes in very confident that he will be able to claim gold and bring the title home to Team Alpha Male on the 16th.  When talking about his opponent Justin said “I’ve done the hard work, and he's not ready to die for this like I am. I have almost killed myself in training and I can't wait to get my hands on him. I can beat him at anything; striking, grappling, board games, kayaking, spelling, trivia, you name it.” 

Justin’s opponent John Gunderson is an MMA veteran since 2002 who has fought all over the world and comes in with a record of 32-12-2, with 25 of those wins coming by submission. Despite losing his last fight to Niko Puhakka, SCC Matchmaker Joey Varner said this bout Gunderson “John Gunderson is one tough SOB. He's dangerous wherever the fight goes." 

Both fighters come from great camps with top notch training partners who will have them more than prepared for this challenge. While Gunderson has the experience advantage Buchholz appears to have the confidence going in.

Being a title fight this is set for five rounds but Hurtsbad has a hard time believing it is going the distance. Will Gunderson be able to get Buchholz to the ground or will Buchholz's standup game cause problems for the veteran Gunderson. One thing is for sure, after the 16th of February SCC will have their first ever lightweight champion.

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