Franklin Scores 1st Round KO - Despite a Broken Arm!
Published June 13, 2010 by Boxing Capital
Rich Franklin scored a stunning first round knockout victory over Chuck Liddell last night, in a short yet incredibly dramatic fight. Liddell had dominated most of the opening round, leading to many sports betting fans to expect an upset – Liddell was a 11/10 underdog coming into the fight – but as Liddell charged forward at the tail end of the first round Franklin detonated a stunning right hand, knocking the ‘Ice Man’ out cold.
Liddell had shown an impressive variation of strikes throughout the opening round. Yes, there were the trademark combinations of punches by Liddell but he also mixed things up with some brutal leg kicks scoring to Franklin’s head and body.
As Liddell, now 40 years old, charged forward towards the end of the first, Franklin landed a smart right hand counter. The punch itself didn’t look particularly concussive on the replay, but the fact Liddell was walking forward onto the punch, thereby multiplying the power of the punch, led to his immediate downfall.
The post fight interview between Rich Franklin and Joe Rogan (commentator on ESPN, who broadcast the fight in the UK) only made Franklin’s win even more impressive; during the interview it became clear that Franklin has sustained a broken left arm early in the round after being caught by a Liddell leg kick, but had fought on bravely to knock out his opponent, himself a fellow UFC hall of famer.
What Next?
The next move for these fighters could not be more contrasting. For Liddell, retirement seems the only option. The former UFC champion has now lost five of his last six contests (and the last three by knockout), with his once formidable punch resistance seemingly on the wane. UFC President, Dana White, is never scared to tell fighters when they need to get out of the sport and I hope he will do so once again here.
For Franklin however, he will be hoping that this victory could put him in contention for another title shot. The only question is which weight division that will be at – he took this fight at Light Heavyweight but its widely acknowledged that Franklin can still make Middleweight. Once Franklin has recovered from the serious arm injury sustained during the fight those plans should become clear and who knows, one more impressive victory against a fellow title contender could see Franklin set to challenge for a UFC title once again.
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