UFC 56: Rich Franklin Knocks Out Quarry
UFC 56: Full Force brought Rich Franklin, Matt Hughes and Georges St-Pierre to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on November 19, 2005. Franklin defended the middleweight championship against Nate Quarry, Hughes faced Joe Riggs in a bout that had lost its title status, and St-Pierre met Sean Sherk. Eight fights made up the program, with decisive performances from the established champions and an ambitious welterweight contender.
Franklin stops Quarry in the first round
Quarry’s appearance made him the first competitor from The Ultimate Fighter to challenge for a UFC championship. After three UFC stoppage victories, he faced a substantial step up against Franklin, who had taken the belt from Evan Tanner earlier that year. The match put the reality show’s rapid impact on display, but it also exposed the distance between a rising challenger and the reigning champion.
Franklin hurt Quarry before landing the straight left hand that ended the fight at 2:34 of round one. It was a knockout, not a decision or a late-round stoppage. The champion’s accuracy gave the event its most enduring highlight and completed his first successful middleweight title defense.
Hughes wins, but the belt is not at stake
Hughes had originally been scheduled to face Karo Parisyan. An injury removed Parisyan from the contest, and Riggs stepped in. Riggs then failed to make the championship welterweight limit, so the matchup proceeded as a non-title fight. That weigh-in outcome is essential to understanding the record: Hughes’ victory does not count as another title defense.
Once the bout reached the ground, Hughes secured a kimura and forced Riggs to submit at 3:28 of the opening round. The finish reinforced Hughes’ strength as a grappler, while the circumstances meant the championship was never available to change hands that evening.
St-Pierre strengthens his case
St-Pierre stopped Sherk with punches and elbows at 2:53 of round two. Having already beaten Frank Trigg at UFC 54, he added another accomplished welterweight to his growing list of victories. The result advanced his pursuit of a return meeting with Hughes, who had defeated him for the vacant championship at UFC 50.
The two welterweight fights can be read together: the champion dispatched a replacement opponent, and a leading challenger delivered a convincing win of his own. They did not fight one another at UFC 56, but their separate performances helped give the division a clear direction.
Supporting fights and complete results
Gabriel Gonzaga’s heavyweight debut ended with a Superman-punch knockout of Kevin Jordan late in round three. Jeremy Horn returned at middleweight and defeated Trevor Prangley by unanimous decision. In the preliminaries, Sam Hoger submitted Jeff Newton, Thiago Alves stopped Ansar Chalangov, and Nick Thompson outpointed Keith Wisniewski.
Rich Franklin defeated Nate Quarry by KO (punch), round 1, 2:34, retaining the middleweight title. Matt Hughes defeated Joe Riggs by submission (kimura), round 1, 3:28, in a non-title bout. Georges St-Pierre defeated Sean Sherk by TKO (punches and elbows), round 2, 2:53. Gabriel Gonzaga defeated Kevin Jordan by KO (Superman punch), round 3, 4:39.
Jeremy Horn defeated Trevor Prangley by unanimous decision. Sam Hoger defeated Jeff Newton by submission (rear-naked choke), round 2, 2:05. Thiago Alves defeated Ansar Chalangov by TKO (punches), round 1, 2:25. Nick Thompson defeated Keith Wisniewski by unanimous decision.
Sources
Article Tags
UFC 56, Rich Franklin, Nate Quarry, Matt Hughes, Georges St-Pierre, UFC Results
