What happened with Chris Lytle on Sunday night happens so rarely in sports, and probably even more rarely in combat sports. After his UFC Live on Versus 5 victory over Dan Hardy, he walked away from the sport that he has competed in since 1998. Over that time the man known as “Lights Out” has become both an ambassador for the sport and a fighter that fans looked forward to watching perform.
With less than a minute left in the fight, Lytle was able to coax a tap out from Hardy, as the Team Rough House fighter made the mistake of leaving his neck exposed during a failed double-leg takedown attempt. At that point the celebration began for a fighter whose career deserves applause, even though he was never able to secure an opportunity to hoist UFC gold.
Lytle’s path to fame began as a contestant during the fourth “Comeback” season of The Ultimate Fighter. He was able to make it to the final round, but would suffer defeat at the hands of Matt Serra by a split decision. From that point in time he fought a Who’s Who of the welterweight division, including Hall of Famer Matt Hughes, Thiago Alves, and Josh Koscheck, and he even got the chance to gain a victory over Serra in a rematch.
Lytle was also a fighter who was not shy about welcoming a striking match against any competitor in his way. Even with 22 submission victories to his credit, fans knew that Lytle was capable of putting on a show on the feet each and every time he stepped into the Octagon. And even in fights where he held a significant advantage in the grappling game, such as his fight against Hardy, Lytle was willing to stand, competing toe-to-toe with whoever was placed across the cage from him. To his credit, Lytle also amassed a 13-1 professional boxing record, which attests to his abilities on the feet.
In this sport where more and more fighters are fighting to their strengths and not worrying about the complaints of the mainstream MMA fan, Lytle was a breath of fresh air. Four days before his 37th birthday he walked away from the UFC with an achievement that current UFC champ Georges St. Pierre cannot claim.
While some may assume that calling an end to his MMA career will end the excitement in Lytle’s life, I’m sure that the full-time Indiana firefighter will have much to look forward to from his occupation, and enjoy the time with the family. Here’s me saying thank you to Chris “Lights Out” Lytle and wishing him a happy retirement.
I can't believe I'm alone in thinking the finish to that fight was staged. I suspect Lytle and Hardy had an agreement where they would trade in hopes for getting Fight of the Night and in addition would split Knockout of the Night should one of them get knocked out, and Submission of the Night if not. The way Hardy dove for that take down seemed totally forced, not to mention the absurdity of it.