It was as shocking as it was devastating. Cung Le ended the UFC’s first visit to China Saturday in spectacular fashion, knocking out former middleweight champion Rich Franklin with a single right hand in the UFC on FUEL TV main event at the Cotai Arena in Macao.
“That’s the biggest fight of my life,” said Le. See recap
After a touch of gloves, the two southpaws faced off, Le landing a couple kicks and Franklin scoring with a right hand to the face. Le got flashy fast, but his spinning kicks missed the mark as Franklin effectively got in and out, catching Le with quick shots and then getting out. But with remarkable accuracy and a sudden impact that caught everyone by surprise, Le landed a flush right punch on the jaw that spun Franklin and sent him face first to the canvas. Referee Marc Goddard immediately halted the bout, and at the 2:17 mark, the Vietnam-born Le had secured the biggest win of his mixed martial arts career.
“He kept throwing that punch at me, and I wasn’t able to time my kick,” said Le. “He kept loading up and looking for me to kick and then catch me with the punches, so I waited for him to punch and just came in with the overhand right and caught him, and thank you Lord.”
With the win, the 40-year-old Le improves to 9-2; Franklin falls to 29-7 with 1 NC.
“I’ll have to go home, go back to the drawing board, sit down with my coaches and make an intelligent decision,” said the 38-year-old Franklin when asked about his future.
Watch Franklin's post-fight interview
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