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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Chuck Liddell's MMA career may have come to an end on Saturday night in Vancouver, British Columbia, as the UFC Hall of Famer and former longtime Light Heavyweight Champion was knocked out by Rich Franklin with five seconds remaining in the first round of their bout at UFC 115.
The first round was a wild back and forth affair that saw Liddell find success early with a bevy of strikes. He got an early takedown as well, and at some point in the back and forth threw a kick that broke the left arm of Franklin.
The former Middleweight Champion would not quit, however, and kept landing punches and kicks in combination, connecting as often as Liddell in a very back and forth affair. The fight finished as Liddell pressed forward with a big flurry to end the round, but overextended on a right hand. Franklin landed a right to the chin that dropped Liddell, knocking him out cold. He landed a couple more on the way down and the fight was called before the round ended.
Liddell lay on the canvas for several minutes as ringside doctors attended to him, and Franklin held his arm close to his chest as he described hearing the bones clicking against each other in his left forearm. Franklin said he blocked a kick at some point that cause the break, but never considered stopping.
The win was Franklin's first since losing to Vitor Belfort last September, while Liddell has now been knocked out in four of his last six fights. With Dana White calling for his retirement after his last loss to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, this may very well be the final time fans see "The Iceman" in the Octagon.
Penick's Analysis: This was an awesome one round fight, and it has to be the final time we see Liddell fight. I can't imagine White giving him another fight, though they could go to the fight with Ortiz in the fall to conclude that whole thing and give Chuck a chance to retire on a win. But there's no way he competes with the top of the division anymore. Franklin showed an extreme amount of heart and the fact that he pulled off that knockout with a broken arm is an incredible testament to the type of fighter he is. "Ace" is back on track and he should finally be able to begin a run towards a hopeful title shot.
NOTE: Be sure to check back every day this week as MMATorch editor-in-chief Jamie Penick will be writing a five-part series of Career Retrospect articles on Chuck Liddell. Relive his career if you've watched it from the start or learn more about what he accomplished in his career if you've joined in the middle or near the end.
RELATED STORY: UFC 115 RESULTS: Penick's live round-by-round report on Liddell vs. Franklin event from Vancouver: [CLICK TO READ FULL ARTICLE
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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