Franklin was under a little pressure but Liddell through a wild punch but missed - Franklin came in quickly with a counter right hook that landed on the chin. Liddell, who was doing well, fell flat on his back after the hook landed. Franklin landed another big shot while Liddell was down, but it wasn’t necessary as the ‘Ice Man’ was out cold..

Rich Franklin won the fight with a broken left arm, Rich Franklin scored perhaps the most important victory since he took the middleweight in 2005, as he knocked out returning Hall of Famer Chuck ‘The Iceman’ Liddell in devastating fashion in the first round of their UFC 115 main event Saturday night at General Motors Place.

“I broke my hand before and didn’t quit,” said Franklin with a smile after the bout. The injury occurred earlier in the first round due to a Liddell kick, but Franklin not only soldiered on, he knocked out one of the sport’s most feared strikers in a bittersweet night for fans of Liddell, who have seen the 40-year old light heavyweight legend lose his third straight fight by knockout.