Top 5: Fastest Finishes in UFC Middleweight Title Fights

Rich Franklin sent a loud-and-clear message: Nate Quarry did not belong in the same cage.

“Ace” retained the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight title when he punched out Quarry in the first round of their UFC 56 headliner on Nov. 19, 2005 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Franklin drew the curtain 2:34 into Round 1, authoring one of the most memorable one-punch knockouts in UFC history.

It was not enjoyable experience for Quarry. Franklin blasted him with clean, accurate punches from the outside and bloodied his nose roughly a minute into their confrontation. Quarry kept pressing forward, to his detriment. After separating from a clinch and with blood pouring from the challenger’s damaged nose, Franklin created the perfect distance and unleashed a straight left for the ages. The blow carried through Quarry’s exposed face, wobbled his ears and froze him instantly. He fell backward and struck the canvas violently, his legs stretched and stiff, his dreams of middleweight glory at an end.

More than two decades later, Franklin’s vicious knockout of “The Rock” remains the fastest finish in a UFC middleweight title fight. The best of the rest:

Chris Weidman vs. Vitor Belfort

UFC 187
May 23, 2015 | Las Vegas
Weidman weathered an early power punching barrage and put away “The Phenom” with punches to retain the middleweight championship in the first round of their co-main event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Referee Herb Dean waved it off 2:53 into Round 1. Belfort uncorked a burst of vicious lefts and rights, first at a distance and then in close quarters, and cut the champion on his left brow. His efforts were not enough. Weidman covered up, withstood the onslaught and resumed stalking the Brazilian. The Serra-Longo Fight Team centerpiece then swooped in for a double-leg takedown, settled briefly in half guard and advanced to full mount. Elbows, punches and hammerfists fell next and with increasing intensity. Sensing the dire nature of his situation, Belfort yielded his back for a moment before allowing the “All-American” to return to the mount. Unable to free himself, he turned away from the blows, resulting in the stoppage.

Anderson Silva vs. Rich Franklin

UFC 64
Oct. 14, 2006 | Las Vegas
Silva laid claim to the undisputed middleweight crown when he buried the Matt Hume disciple with a knee strike in the first round of their headliner at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Franklin bowed out 2:59 into Round 1, his reign atop the 185-pound weight class having concluded after 497 days. Silva was sublime, as he established his dominance early and picked apart the former math teacher with violent precision. Once they clinched two minutes into the match, he applied his vice-like collar tie and raked Franklin with repeated knees to the body. The Cincinnati native’s ribs went from bright pink to deep red, as he became hopelessly entangled in Silva’s destructive muay thai web. His situation only deteriorated from there. Silva continued to attack the body, until he fired one of his knees upstairs and crushed the defending champion’s nose. Franklin’s legs buckled, as he stumbled backward, got sucked into the clinch again and absorbed another knee that sent him packing.

Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort

UFC 126
Feb. 5, 2011 | Las Vegas
Silva kept his stronghold on the middleweight throne when he cut down his compatriot with a spectacular front kick and follow-up punches in the first round of their main event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Belfort required rescue 3:25 into Round 1, suffering his first setback in more than four years. A feeling-out process between the two Brazilian middleweights concluded with a pair of leg kicks and a two-punch volley from Belfort. In hindsight, it represented a small moral victory for “The Phenom.” As they stood face to face in the center of the cage, Silva fired a front kick through the challenger’s defenses and dropped him where he stood. “The Spider” then pounced with two more punches to clean up what was left.

Michael Bisping vs. Luke Rockhold

UFC 199
June 4, 2016 | Inglewood, California
Bisping authored a career-defining upset when he knocked out the American Kickboxing Academy standout in the first round of their headliner at The Forum. Rockhold succumbed to blows 3:36 into Round 1. The shock value was off the charts. Rockhold chipped away with kicks before the fight turned in an instant. Bisping connected with a chopping counter left hand that felled the Californian. The badly dazed Rockhold tried to return to his feet but was immediately met with a clean left hook that dropped him against the cage. Bisping followed with more punches to force referee John McCarthy to act.