UFC 64

Subtitled, in typical UFC bravado 'Unstoppable', Saturday's bout at Mandalay Bay Events Centre in Las Vegas proved anything but. Anderson Silva demolished Rich Franklin in the first round, using his productive and punishing Thai boxing technique to claim the UFC Middleweight Championship belt.

Both fighters had a cagey start to the bout, tentatively testing each other's guard and finding their reach. A few of Silva's leg kick's reached their target and Franklin managed to land a few unthreatening punches. But once Silva managed to catch his opponent's head in a Muay Thai clinch, the battle began to go his way. Franklin attempted to escape with a few well-directed punches, but an endless barrage of knee's to his legs and body soon broke down his defences. With his nose broken, Franklin managed to wriggle out of Silva's grip, only to face a series of high-kick's which finished him off. The ref stopped the bout just shy of four minutes.

Silva, a mixed martial arts veteran but relative newcomer to UFC, was gracious in victory, knowing that Rich Franklin was a massively popular champion. His defeat seemed to shock the assembled crowd in Vegas, witnessing the demise of a great, old champion and the elevation of a new, dominating figure in the middleweight division.

Earlier in the night, Sean Sherk, the out and out favourite to beat Kenny Florian, found the bout harder than expected. Using his wrestling technique and sheer power, he pounded his way to victory over Florian to earn the distinction of being the second UFC Lightweight Champion in history.