Chris Lytle - Mixed Martial Arts Career

Mixed Martial Arts Career

Lytle started training for fighting in 1998, saying that it was "something to keep me active". He trains part-time outside of his regular job as a firefighter, attending single-discipline gyms rather than MMA camps. He has held championships in the Hook N' Shoot and Absolute Fighting Championship promotions and won the Cage Rage World Welterweight Championship. He became the 175 lb Indiana state boxing champion, saying, "By the end of the year (2004), I think I'll have a few more smaller boxing titles."

In 2006 Lytle was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 4 on Spike, where he defeated Pete Spratt and Din Thomas in exhibition bouts to proceed to the welterweight finale. On November 11, Matt Serra defeated Lytle by split decision in The Ultimate Fighter 4 Finale. Lytle was the more active fighter on the feet, with Serra tying up and using foot stomps until he got takedowns, at which time he became the more active fighter, with Lytle holding guard and seemingly waiting for the referee to stand the fight up. Two judges scored the bout 30–27 for Serra and one judge scored the fight 30–27 for Lytle, but despite the scores the match was very close. He lost to former UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes on March 3 at UFC 68 in Columbus, Ohio via unanimous decision.

Lytle fought Jason Gilliam at UFC 73 on July 7, 2007. Lytle controlled the pace of the fight in the first round and eventually brought Gilliam to the ground. Lytle worked from top position, and eventually sunk in an inverted triangle choke from top position. To seal the fight he locked in an inverted armbar on Gilliam's free arm, forcing him to tap.

At a United Fight League show taking place in Indianapolis, Indiana on August 11, 2007, Lytle defeated Matt Brown by guillotine choke in the second round.

After losing to Thiago Alves at UFC 78 via a controversial doctor stoppage due to a cut at the end of the second round, Lytle went on to defeat Kyle Bradley at UFC 81 by KO at 33 seconds of the first round. In an interview after the fight, Lytle stated that he had a new outlook on fighting; he would no longer pursue an "overly-technical" approach to each fight, but would go into his next fight and "not be afraid to lose."

On July 5, 2008 at UFC 86 Lytle lost to Josh Koscheck in a UFC Welterweight title eliminator fight. Koscheck used an effective ground and pound style to open up massive cuts on Lytle's face and ultimately won by decision.

Lytle's next fight was against British fighter Paul Taylor at UFC 89 on October 18, 2008 in Birmingham, England. Lytle won a unanimous decision. The judges scored it 29–28 (twice) and 30–27. The decision resulted in loud boos and Taylor was surprised at Lytle being awarded the judges' decision. Sherdog, MMAWeekly and MMAJunkie thought Taylor had won the decision. The fight was awarded Fight of the Night by the UFC and both fighters received $40,000 following their fight.

Lytle's next fight was on January 17, 2009, against Marcus Davis at UFC 93. Both fighters are former boxers and had discussed a potential fight in their futures since early 2008. Lytle called out Davis after his win in UFC 89. He suggested that the fight take place in Ireland, where Davis had garned a substantial following due to his emphasis on his Irish roots. Leading up to the event, both fighters promised to stand and trade blows for the entire fight, rather than engage in grappling. Lytle managed to stun Davis several times, but Davis used superior footwork, counterpunching, and kicks to win a split decision. The bout shared Fight of the Night honors with the Coleman/Rua co-main event, earning Lytle a $40,000 bonus. Lytle again won Fight of the Night at the Ultimate Fighter 9 finale, defeating Kevin Burns, Lytle received a $25,000 bonus along with Diego Sanchez, Clay Guida, Joe Stevenson and Nate Diaz whose respective fights also won Fight of the Night. He was scheduled to fight Carlos Condit on September 16, 2009 at UFC Fight Night 19, but had to pull out due to a knee injury.

Lytle was expected to face Kim Dong-hyun on February 21, 2010 at UFC 110. This fight was later cancelled after a knee injury to Kim. Lytle instead faced Brian Foster at UFC 110 and was victorious via first round submission (kneebar).

Lytle defeated Matt Brown on July 3, 2010 at UFC 116 via straight armbar/triangle choke in a rematch from 2007. The submission was very technical and was a strong contender for yet another Submission of the Night bonus, but said award was won by Lesnar for the surprising arm triangle choke on Carwin—a choice that created minor controversy among fans. Although not another official fight bonus, Lytle was later awarded an undisclosed bonus for managing another exciting finish.

Lytle faced former UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Serra on September 25, 2010 at UFC 119 in a rematch of their 2006 bout at The Ultimate Fighter 4 Finale which he won via unanimous decision, out striking Serra throughout all three rounds.

Lytle was expected to face Carlos Condit on February 27, 2011 at UFC 127. However, Condit was forced from the bout after suffering a knee injury while training and replaced by UFC newcomer Brian Ebersole. Lytle lost to the UFC newcomer via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28), again winning fight of the night.

Lytle faced former UFC welterweight title contender Dan Hardy on August 14, 2011 at UFC on Versus 5. Chris Lytle stated at the weigh-ins he would retire after the bout regardless of the outcome. Regarding his retirement, Chris has been quoted as saying "“I feel like I’m not being the type of dad I want to. I got four kids and lots of time I feel just an immense sense of guilt for not being there in times when I should.” Lytle was able to close out the fight with a Guillotine choke submission in the 3rd round over Dan Hardy after being successful early on by utilizing his superior boxing, thus closing out his MMA career with a victory and 10-10 record in the UFC. Lytle walked away with Fight of the Night and Submission of the Night honors, and earned a 2012 Softail Blackline motorcycle from Harley Davidson for the performance.