» Fighter: Chris Lytle

All fighters on the UFC 110 card in Sydney Saturday made weight.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (233.2 lbs./106 kg) vs. Cain Velasquez (242 lbs./110 kg)

Read More About UFC 110: All Fighters Make Weight. It’s On!…

The forthcoming UFC title fight between Fighters.com and UFC Welterweight Champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (19-2) and tenth-ranked “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (23-6) might land in Sydney at UFC 110 February 21, UFC President Dana White hinted to MMA Junkie Radio Friday night.

Read More About UFC 110: Georges St. Pierre Versus Dan Hardy Probable, Silva vs. Akiyama Uncertain, Lytle v Kim Reported…

Omaha welterweight Jake Ellenberger (20-4) was drafted by the UFC Wednesday to replace “Lights Out” Chris Lytle (27-17-5) versus “Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit (23-5) at Fight Night 19 in Oklahoma City 16 September, Fighters.com has confirmed.

Ellenberger told Fighters.com, “I’m stoked. It’s my time!” He called the former WEC champ Condit a “great opponent.”

Ellenberger knocked out Brazilian Top Team’s Marcelo Alfaia (6-5) in 42 seconds at Bellator 11 in Uncasville 12 June.

Read More About UFC Rookie Jake Ellenberger: “It’s my time!”…

UFC welterweight “Irish Hand Grenade” Marcus Davis (15-4) told Fighters.com that he hasn’t heard anything yet about a possible match-up versus “Lights Out” Chris Lytle (26-16-5) at UFC 93 in Dublin 17 January.

Lytle had called for the match-up after winning a controversial unanimous decsion over “Relentless” Paul Taylor (9-4-1) at UFC 89 in Birmingham last weekend.

But, the lack of a contract hasn’t stopped Davis from trash talking Lytle to Eurosport.

“I don’t know whether [Lytle] deserves a fight against me.  People always say that Chris is the ‘gatekeeper’ to our division; but, I think that I am past the gate,” Davis told Eurosport Friday.

Davis tapped “Tellys” Paul Kelly (7-1) in a guillotine at 2:16 of round two at UFC 89.  Both Davis and Lytle won bonuses for their performances.

Read More About UFC’s Davis: Chris Lytle Doesn’t Deserve to Fight Me at UFC 93…

Welterweight “Lights Out” Chris Lytle (26-16-5) won a controversial unanimous decision over Brit “Relentless” Paul Taylor (9-4-1) at UFC 89 in Birmingham Saturday night by judges’ scores of 29-28 twice and 30-72 once, all for Lytle.

The British crowd booed the decision; and, Taylor was visibly stunned.

After the win, Lytle said, “He landed some good things on me; I landed some good things on him.  You just never know what the judges are looking for.  Thankfully they were looking for what I did.”

Lytle dug several rights into Taylor’s body in a first round fought mostly in the clinch.  Taylor countered with a knee to Lytle’s body and an inside right hand.

Taylor landed more frequently in the second round, staggering Lytle with a short right that convinced Lytle to shoot for the takedown.  Taylor wriggled free from a guillotine attempt and connected with a left hook.  Lytle went back to the body with his hands; and, Taylor followed to Lytle’s body with a kick.  Taylor ended the round landing two knees to Lytle’s body from the clinch.

Read More About UFC 89: Lytle Wins Slugfest With Taylor, Calls Out Davis…

All UFC 89 fighters made their weight today at the NIA for Saturday’s card in Birmingham.

“Count” Michael Bisping (16-1) 185 pounds v “Crippler” Chris Leben (18-4) 186 pounds

“I’m glad you guys let me into your country,” main event fighter Leben said at Thursday’s press conference.  “I was a little worried on the plane.”

Leben was originally scheduled to fight Bisping in London 7 June, but opted to put to rest legal issues in Oregon stemming from an earlier DUI arrest to ensure a legal UK visa.

But, the pressure is squarely on the shoulders of Brit Bisping, who told the press, “I am on a quest.  Losing this fight for me is not an option.”

Leben, wearing tight cornrows, chided his opponent, saying, “It seems to me that, when Michael Bisping fights, self-preservation is top on his list.”

A brawl would certainly benefit Leben.  Bisping’s stand-up style is a bit more circle-and-poke, while Leben is happy to plant and throw bombs.

Read More About UFC 89: Bisping & Leben Make Weight…

After Fighters.com’s Welterweight Champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (17-2) defended his title from then top contender Jon Fitch (17-3) in Minneapolis 9 August, who better to challenge him next than…Fighters.com’s Lightweight Champion “Prodigy” B.J. Penn (13-4-1)?

On the gutsy unanimous decision loss, Fitch dropped three ranks to fifth in August’s rankings.  However, to those who’ve called Fitch St. Pierre’s “toughest challenge”, Fighters.com reminds them that sixth-ranked “Terror” Matt Serra (9-5) knocked St. Pierre out in the first round in Houston 7 April, 2007.

In fact, it was obvious in the stand-up exchanges between St. Pierre and Fitch that the 2007 knockout remains in the forefront of St. Pierre’s mind as St. Pierre was more cautious than he had been in previous fights.

But, rather than St. Pierre match-up versus Penn, Fighters.com would rather sanction a title fight between St. Pierre and the winner of the match-up between Fighters.com’s new top contender “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (15-3) and seventh-ranked “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (18-2) to be fought in Chicago 25 October.

Read More About Fighters.com’s August Welterweight Rankings…

SpikeTV will air UFC 89 for free on tape delay from Birmingham 18 October, the UFC officially announced Monday.

The UFC also confirmed two more bouts on the card, between light heavyweights “Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine (13-4-1) and “The Truth” Brandon Vera (9-2), and between welterweights “Lights Out” Chris Lytle (25-16-5) and Paul Taylor (9-3-1).

Fighters.com’s sixth-ranked Jardine looks to rebound from a 36-second knockout loss to fifth-ranked “Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (32-8-1) in May.

Vera won a unanimous decision over Reese Andy (7-3) at Ultimate Fight Night 14 last week.  He is 1-0 since moving down a weight class.

Lytle lost a unanimous decision in May to fourth-ranked Josh Koscheck (13-2).

Taylor won a split decision over “Joker” Jess Liaudin (13-11) in June.

“For all you Rampage haters, you might as well get used to me,” Fighters.com’s Light Heavyweight Champion “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-6) announced to the crowd at the UFC 86 weigh-ins in Las Vegas Friday.  “I’ma be here for a long time,” he added, then flashed the peace sign.

Rampage weighed in at 205-pounds, as did eighth-ranked title challenger Forrest Griffin (15-4).

Xtreme Couture’s Griffin said, “It’s nice to fight in your hometown.  Thank you, guys.”

Griffin smirked in the gaze of an intense Rampage stare down.

All fighters on Saturday night’s card made weight.

Only lightweight Gleison Tibau (15-5) missed the mark, but by the allowed one pound at 156-pounds.  Tibau will fight “Daddy” Joe Stevenson (33-8).

6′4″ lightweight Corey Hill (2-0) looked absolutely emaciated at 155-pounds.

Read More About UFC 86 Weights From Sin City…

Third-ranked “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (15-3) is the big mover in Fighters.coms’s June Welterweight Rankings after, of course, crashing knee-first into the side of seventh-ranked Matt Hughes’s (42-7) cranium in London 7 June.

Alves established himself as the top contender to the winner between Fighters.com’s Welterweight Champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (16-2) and second-ranked Jon Fitch (17-2), to be fought in Minneapolis 9 August.

Hughes finds himself at a crossroads as confidants close to H.I.T. Squad have confided to Fighters.com that Hughes didn’t prepare for his tussle with “Pitbull” with the determination that’s marked his storied career.

The day after Alves finished Hughes, ninth-ranked “The Goat” Nick Thompson (36-9-1) finished hard-punching “Maicon” Michael Costa (9-4) in Tokyo.

Thompson is negotiating to fight eighth-ranked Jake Shields (20-4-1) for the EliteXC title, but tells Fighters.com, “I would really like the fight but I am not willing to fight below my value in order to make it happen.”

Read More About Fighters.com’s June Welterweight Rankings…