Franklin’s pain not for naught

Rich Franklin was able to knock out Chuck Liddell despite suffering a broken arm early in their UFC fight last month.

Now the former middleweight champion hopes the cast on his left arm can help in the fight against breast cancer.

Franklin had a pink cast placed on the arm a few weeks ago. He started a raffle on his website, americanfighter.com, and the winner will receive the cast when his arm is fully healed.

Liddell has autographed the cast and Franklin will sign it for the winner once the cast is removed.

Tickets for the raffle, which is being conducted by Franklin’s “Keep it in the Ring Foundation,” cost $5 and proceeds will be donated to benefit Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Eight other prizes are also up for grabs in the raffle. No date has been set for the drawing. Winners will be selected only after the cast is removed, which the website projects in late July.

■ LESNAR-VELASQUEZ SET — Brock Lesnar’s next heavyweight title defense is expected to take place Oct. 23 in Anaheim, Calif., though the event has not yet been announced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The bout will be the main event of UFC 121 at the Honda Center.

Cain Velasquez was named Lesnar’s next opponent after Lesnar successfully defended his title with a second-round submission victory over Shane Carwin July 3 in Las Vegas.

Velasquez is 8-0 as a professional, with six wins in the UFC. His last fight was a first-round knockout of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in February.

■ UFC TO AUSTIN — The organization announced its first trip to Austin, Texas.

Ultimate Fight Night 22, long rumored for the Frank Erwin Center at the University of Texas, was made official for Sept. 15 with a main event middleweight bout between Alan Belcher and Demian Maia.

Welterweights Gleison Tibau and Jim Miller will square off, and Matt Wiman and Mac Danzig will be a rematch of a bout won controversially by Wiman in June when the referee appeared to prematurely stop the bout, thinking Danzig had been put to sleep in a guillotine choke.

The broadcast on Spike (Cable 29) will serve as the lead-in to the first episode of “The Ultimate Fighter: Season 12.” Welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck are the coaches for the new season, filming in Las Vegas.

■ FABER OUT — Former World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight champion Urijah Faber will not make his bantamweight debut next month. He suffered an injury in training and has pulled out of his fight against Takeya Mizugaki at WEC 50 on Aug. 18 at the Palms.

Faber was 2-3 in his last five fights at featherweight, prompting the drop to the 135-pound division. A replacement opponent will not be sought for Mizugaki, who is now off the card.

The main event features bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz defending the belt against Joseph Benavidez. Las Vegan Shane Roller will meet Anthony Pettis in a lightweight bout.

Also, Las Vegan Antony Njokuani will take on WEC newcomer Maciej Jewtuszko.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509.