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Team Alpha Male is ready to end 2016 with a bang.



With Josh Emmett, Paige VanZant, Teruto Ishihara, Urijah Faber and Cody Garbrandt all in action before the end of the year, Team Alpha Male could end the year on a high note and even crown a new UFC titleholder at 135 pounds.



Speaking exclusively today at the UFC Fight Night 99 media day in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Team Alpha Male head coach Justin Buscholz gave FloCombat the inside track on everything going down in Sacramento, California, ahead of a huge seven weeks for the camp.



"It's insane," Buchholz said. "The UFC gave Josh [Emmett] a promo code, and he sold out the entire floor of the arena for the Sacramento card in under 12 hours. That's not including Faber, Paige and Alex, so we are going there in force and hopefully show you guys all a good time in our stomping grounds. It's a new arena, so it should be good times.



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"Then we got Cody fighting for the title at the end of the year [at UFC 207] so to cap my first year as head coach with a world title, well, that wouldn't be bad."



Buchholz then spoke about how Garbrandt had been preparing for his showdown with current champ Dominick Cruz in December, saying that the pressure of the occasion wasn't getting to him in the slightest.



"This is something Cody has been preparing for since he was a kid," Buchholz said. "Cruz has been the guy he's been focused on the whole time, so there are no nerves or anything. There's nothing going on apart from hard training.



"It will be six weeks after I got back, so we are going to go in there and take that world title."



When asked if there was any bad blood with Cruz after years and years of feuding with Urijah Faber and now Garbrandt, Buchholz shrugged it off and said that all was fair in love and war.



"No, man, we probably dish it out better than he does," Buchholz said, laughing. "We've probably talked more shit that he ever has, so he's a respectful guy and what I like is the sporting aspect, and I got a lot of respect for him and his team.



"He's just the old lion and he's slowed down a little bit. He's preparing for his next step in life, and he's going to be a great commentator and fight analyst, but Cody only has one goal, and that's to take him out.



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"It's not going to be good for him, but he will make more money in this one fight with Cody than he's ever made in his life, so it will be alright."



Anyone expecting Garbrandt to change up his recent gameplan when he faces Cruz better think again. Buchholz said the Team Alpha Male man was coming for a knockout and there was nothing Cruz was going to be able to do about it.



"We are going to go with the formula that's been working," Buchholz said. "It doesn't matter who the opponent is, we are going for the first-round knockout. Get in there and just get it done. We are looking for a finish just like every fight."



Such is the confidence in his man, Buchholz is already thinking about Garbrandt's first title defense. Suffice to say, he's expecting a familiar face opposite him inside the Octagon.



"I mean, the relationship is never really going to finish, but I'm Cody's coach and T.J. [Dillashaw] is no longer on my team," Buchholz said. "He originally moved to MusclePharm on a business decision. In a business decision, I've got Cody's back on this.



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"That looks like it's going to be the next fight. It looks like Cody will beat Cruz to get the belt and then T.J. will be next. That fight is going to happen, and it will be interesting."







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