Franklin knocks out Liddell in 1st round of UFC 115

Franklin knocks out Liddell in 1st round

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — 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.

It was a rough end to the fight, with Franklin saying afterward 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 fell to the canvas, Franklin hit him with an another blow.

Liddell lay motionless for several minutes while support staff swarmed around him.

It was a rough end to UFC’s first card in Vancouver at the sold out GM Place.

Liddell, the former world light heavyweight champion who also has appeared on “Dancing with the Stars,” was looking to put his career back on track. He’s lost five of his past 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 Filipovic used a flurry of third-round blows to score a tap-out decision over Patrick 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 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. The fight was over when Filipovic applied the choke. The win improved Filipovic’s record to 27-7-2. Barry falls to 5-2.