Fighter Profile: Chris Lytle

Overall Record: 35-17-5

UFC Record: 5-9

Hometown: Indianapolis, IN

Height: 5’11” Weight: 170

Born: August 18, 1974

Chris “Lights Out” Lytle is a mixed-martial artist currently fighting as a welterweight (170lb) for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Lytle, who is also a full-time firefighter in the Indianapolis, Indiana area, fights and trains at the Integrated Fighting Academy where he specializes in boxing, wrestling and jiu-jitsu.

Lytle began competing professionally five years after his successful wrestling career had ended in 1993. He began fighting in Japan in Pancrase tournaments, taking part in nine bouts within the first year. He faced solid fighters in Japan such as Takafumi Ito (Draw), Ikushisa Minowa (Draw), and Shonie Carter (Loss).

It was at UFC 28 in November 2000 that Lytle would get his first opportunity with the largest MMA promotion in the United States. Unfortunately Lytle was on the losing end of a unanimous decision to Ben Earwood.

It would take three full years for Lytle to make his way back into the UFC. In the meantime he kept busy fighting for small American promotions as well as a trip back to Pancrase in Japan. During that three-year span, Lytle faced Nick Diaz (L – Dec) and Aaron Riley (W – KO) among others.

“Lights Out” prepped his striking skills by also competing as a professional boxer from 2002-2005. He won the IBA (Indiana Boxing Association) light-heavyweight title with an April 2003 win against John Moore. Lytle would go on to defend his IBA title two more times on his way to an overall record of 13-1-1.

In between working full-time, maintaining his family and competing in boxing, Lytle had time to resume his MMA career. His second stint in the UFC was at UFC 45 – “Revolution” against Robbie Lawler. Lawler and Lytle traded frantically for three rounds but again Lytle was on another losing side of a decision.

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Bouncing on and off of UFC cards for the next year-and-a-half, Lytle would also carry the tag as a “tough-luck fighter,” with his aggressive style and finishing ability he would commonly find himself losing decisions. He recorded UFC wins over Tiki Ghosn and Ronald Jhun but lost against Karo Parisyan and Joe Riggs. He was released shortly after his UFC 55 loss to Riggs in October ’05.

Winning his next two fights outside of the organization, Lytle again caught the attention of UFC brass and earned a spot on the fourth season of “The Ultimate Fighter: The Comeback.” He used his newly developed finishing power to dispose of three opponents to earn a spot in the TUF 4 Finale against Matt Serra. Serra out-lasted Lytle however, denying him the six-figure contract and immediate title shot against George St. Pierre.

The UFC saw enough to sign Lytle to his third separate UFC contract early in 2007. Over the course of the next seven months Lytle would go 1-1, with a win over Jason Gilliam and a loss against Matt Hughes, forcing him to temporarily leave the promotion for the third time.

After a win against current UFC welterweight Matt Brown at a United Fight League event in August 2007, Lytle was brought back to face fast-rising star - Thiago Alves at UFC 78. He wound up losing to Alves but was awarded a bonus for his efforts in a “Fight of the Night” performance.

In his next four fights, Lytle would win two and lose two but would also demonstrate the reason he always finds his name on event cards. His effort in his last four bouts, a win versus Kyle Bradley, loss against Josh Koscheck, win against Paul Taylor and a loss to Marcus Davis, have earned him two more “Fight of the Night” bonuses and a “KO of the Night” bonus. He now has been recognized for three “Fight of the Night” awards and once each for “KO of the Night” and “Submission of the Night” (Gilliam UFC 73) during his nine-year UFC career.

It has been five months since his loss to Marcus Davis at UFC 93 and Lytle is already booked for his next bout. Lytle is set to square off on the preliminary card against Kevin Burns at “The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale” on June 20th in Las Vegas. This should be an even match-up for Lytle, Burns is 7-2 overall and 2-1 in the UFC with wins over Anthony Johnson and Roan Carneiro.

Recent Chris Lytle MMA News:

• Defeated Kevin Burns at The Ultimate Fighter 9 finale on june 20, 2009 - TUF 9 finale results

• Defeated Brian Foster at UFC 110 by Submission on February 20, 2010 - UFC 110 results

• Defeated Matt Brown via Submission at UFC 116 on July 3, 2010 in Las Vegas, NV - UFC 116 results

By Nick Russell
ProFighting-fans.com Staff Writer
Published June 2009