Franklin KOs Liddell at UFC 115 in Vancouver
Rich Franklin used a devastating right hand to knock out Chuck Liddell at 4:55 of the first round in the main event of UFC 115 on Saturday night in Vancouver.
It was a brutal end to a furious fight, with Franklin saying afterwards he thinks he suffered a broken left arm from a Liddell kick.
With the final seconds ticking away in the opening round, Liddell had Franklin backed up against the fence.
After Liddell missed with a punch, Franklin caught him with a right. When Liddell crumpled to the canvas, Franklin hit him with a another blow.
Liddell lay motionless for several minutes while support staff swarmed around him.
It was a savage end to UFC's first card in Vancouver and the sold out crowd at GM Place loved it. The cheers from the fans were deafening.
Liddell, the former world light heavyweight champion who also has appeared on the television show "Dancing with the Stars," was looking to put his career back on track. He's now lost five of his last six fights, four by knockout.
Franklin, the former math teacher from Cincinnati, improved his record to 28-5 with one no contest. Liddell of San Luis Opispo, Calif., is 21-8.
Earlier, Mirko (Cro Cop) Filipovic used a flurry of third-round blows and a rear-naked choke to score a tap-out decision over Patrick (HD) Barry in the co-undercard.
Filipovic, a former member of Croatia's elite anti-terrorist unit, was twice knocked down in the fight, once by a thunderous right hook in the first round.
He put Barry in trouble late in third, catching him in the face with a punch, then knocking him to the mat. Quick as a cat, Filipovic was on Barry and raining blows. The fight was over when Filipovic applied the choke.
The win improved Filipovic's record to 27-7-2. Barry, who has said Cro Crop is his idol, falls to 5-2.
Toronto's Claude (The Prince) Patrick took the shine off Ricardo (Golden Boy) Funch but he was the only one of three Canadians to win on the undercard.
Rory (The Waterboy) MacDonald of Kelowna, B.C., lost to Carlos (The Natural Born Killer) Condit while Montreal's David (The Crow) Loiseau lost a bloody match to (Super) Mario Miranda.
Patrick, a welterweight, used a guillotine choke to force a tap-out victory at 1:48 of the second round as UFC made its debut in Vancouver.
"I'm happy with my performance," said Patrick, who needed two chokes to subdue Funch. "I knew I didn't have the choke the first time, but I knew it was sunk the second time."
Patrick improved his record 12-1 while Funch, who had his hair decorated with blue and red beads, dropped to 7-2.
Blows rain down on The Waterboy
A furious rain of punches late in the third round allowed Condit to score a late decision from MacDonald. Both fighters were left bleeding after the physical welterweight bout that had the crowd on their feet.
MacDonald controlled the first two rounds of the fight and even put Condit on the canvas near the end of the second with a kick to the chest. The 20-year-old walked back to his corner, pumping his fist in the air.
Condit, 26, regrouped in the third. He had MacDonald down and pounded him with blows forcing the referee to end the fight, which brought boos from the crowd.
The win upped Condit's record to 25-5.
"I was taking some good head shots," said MacDonald, who lost for the first time in 11 fights. "I was lost.
"I felt like I was close. I just wasn't confident."
Condit gave the young Canadian credit.
"He's got a great career ahead of him," Condit said.
Miranda, 30, who was making his UFC debut, dominated his fight against Loiseau. Blood poured from a cut on Loiseau's head, staining the blue floor of the Octagon.
Late in the second round the crowd, which earlier had chanted "Canada, Canada" in support of Loiseau, began to boo as the referee allowed the fight to continue. Miranda sat on Loiseau's back and hammered down punches until the fight was mercifully stopped.
"To be honest, I thought the ref let it go a bit longer than he should have," said Miranda, who improved his record to 12-1.
Loiseau, 30, is 11-2.
Martin (The Hitman) Kampmann improved his record to 17-3 with a unanimous decision over Paulo Thiago in a welterweight match.
The first ever UFC event in Vancouver drew a sold out crowd to GM Place. All the tickets for the event, which ranged in price from $76 to $601, were sold in 30 minutes making it the fastest sellout ever for the mixed martial arts organization.
Dana White, the UFC president, has already said he wants to return to the city.
Vancouver is the second Canadian city to host a UFC event. Montreal has hosted three cards.
In December, Vancouver city councillors voted six to three to approve a two-year trial period for MMA. Under the pilot program, promoters must ensure the city can't be held liable for damages.
White would not say how much UFC has paid for insurance.