Chris Lytle is a survivor. That’s the best way to describe the kind of man that has always found a way to persevere despite facing numerous setbacks throughout a career that has spanned over a decade. “Lights Out” has always been the type of fighter that only ever flirts with championship relevancy, and never emerges as a championship contender outright. Heading into his upcoming fight with Carlos Condit at ufc 127, Lytle aims to finally break that trend once and for all, and in a new interview, he was frank in admitting that this may be his last major opportunity to do so. Here are all the details.
In a new interview conducted by the folks over at MMA Junkie, Lytle recently shared the following sentiments: “When they say ‘whoever wins this fight gets a title shot’ – you ever notice how those fights are always boring? …They want to eke out a victory, and I don’t ever want to fight like that again… I don’t want to win the worst fight of my life. I’d rather fight the best fight of my life and lose… The way I see it, this might very well be my last [run at the title]… I don’t have time to keep starting over. I just can’t keep doing it.”
I’ve been a fan of Chris Lytle for a number of years now, and throughout that time, he’s never given me a reason to change my views. Inside the cage he fights to finish and has put together some amazing victories lately. Outside the cage he’s a consummate professional and fully deserving of his status as an MMA veteran. Not only do I hope Chris Lytle beats Carlos Condit, I hope he beats whoever else the UFC puts in front of him and finally gets a shot at the UFC Welterweight Championship.
The alternative is quite grim. I really appreciate how frank Lytle is in admitting that he can’t keep starting over, and I’ll be equally as honest and frank and say that I don’t think Lytle’s career can afford another setback. Lytle will celebrate his twelfth year fighting as a professional Mixed Martial Artist in February, and this upcoming fight with Condit will take him one step closer to his twentieth performance inside the Octagon. Lytle simply can’t afford for his career to keep hitting the “reset” button. Even though I don’t like to admit it, I really do think that it’s “do or die” time for Chris Lytle.
Lytle will certainly have his hands full against Condit, who is an excellent striker and coming off of arguably the biggest win of his career. Condit is on a three-fight win-streak with two (T)KO victories, and hasn’t lost since 2009. And while Lytle has never been knocked out before (his two TKO losses were due to cuts), Dan Hardy was also a fighter that had never been knocked out before. Condit has the kind of power in his hands that is a threat to anyone, and he has enough experience competing against high-level competition to give anyone a run for their money.
So while it won’t be easy, I think Condit is a great test for Lytle and I also think that it’ll be a big step forward for “Lights Out” if Lytle is able to score the win. I’m a fan of both men, so I’m just glad we’re going to get what should be an awesome fight. But I’ve had my feet firmly in the Chris Lytle bandwagon for a number of years now, so with absolutely no disrespect meant towards Carlos Condit, I sincerely hope that Chris Lytle wins this fight dramatically, with a big KO or submission, and continues his march towards the championship.
And what about you, fans and friends? What’s your opinion on Lytle’s chances in this fight, and his chances as a championship contender in general?
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Chris will win by submission or KO. He’s a smart fighter and has a hard head. He can take a punch, but will give ya two back just as hard. He should have won the decision with Matt Serra in their first fight. He will get a championship.