| Chris Lytle: It takes two to tango |
Chris Lytle’s ideal opponent stacks up a little something like this. He’s about 5’11 tall, 170-pounds in weight, 34 years of age, orthodox in stance and an ex-pro boxer with heavy hands and underrated submission
skills. He sports a 35-16-4 mixed martial arts record and is nicknamed ‘Lights Out’ on account of his ability to shortcut the senses of opponents with sledgehammer punches.
Chris Lytle’s dream dance partner is Chris Lytle.
On October 18 at UFC 89 in Birmingham, Lytle gets the fight he’s always wanted. The opponent he’s always wanted. The opportunity he’s always wanted. ‘Lights Out’ Lytle fights Walsall’s Paul Taylor – a man who subscribes to the same school of thought as Indianapolis’ finest. It’s not Chris Lytle, but it’s the nearest thing to facing a mirror image.
“When I found out my opponent was Paul Taylor I was really excited,” explains the hard-hitting Lytle. “I’ve seen Paul Taylor fight a few times and I really like the way he fights – the style he has. He’s a lot like me and I know what to expect from him. He’s going to come out there and bang and try to knock me out. Which is exactly what I’ll be trying to do to him. That’s the kind of fight I’m looking forward to. I want both of us standing in the middle of the ring beating on each other.”
A veteran of over 50 mixed martial arts contests, Lytle loves nothing more than an old-fashioned tear-up. Capable on his feet and his back, Chris has learned to deal with all types of situations and scenarios inside the Octagon. Some he tolerates, others he loves.
“Everybody wants a good fight but it takes two to tango,” he says. “You can’t have one guy wanting to put on a great fight and the other not wanting to. It doesn’t work out. You need both guys looking to go out there and entertain.”
Home favourite Taylor doesn’t just subscribe to the same theory, he carries it into each and every Octagon performance. A personal mantra, if you like.
“Fights like this one with Chris are win-win scenarios for me really,” agrees Taylor, 9-3-1 in his own mixed martial arts career. “If I go out, put up a good scrap, but lose on points I’ve only lost to a very good opponent in an exciting fight. If I pull out the win like I hope to do, it’s just even better for me. Win or lose, I’m just interested in putting on great fights.”
A great fight assured then, Lytle is now concentrating on formulating a game plan to ensure his fist is raised victoriously at the bout’s conclusion.
“I don’t think people realise how good Paul’s stand-up is,” concedes Lytle. “I mean, he’s really fast, he’s got good hands and he can mix his kicks and punches really well. You can be a good puncher and a good kicker, but to be able to mix them together and be efficient like Paul is really something. His cardio’s good, too. I’m excited to see how I’ll fare in there against a guy with that kind of hand speed and accuracy.”
Almost said with a let’s-wait-and-see excitement, Lytle relishes the test ahead. For a veteran of over 10 years combat to display that kind of youthful enthusiasm is a mark of both Lytle’s humility as well as his endless desire to learn and improve.
“Experience is always a good thing and it’s always going to help you out,” admits Chris. “From what I’ve seen of Paul, he isn’t going to get too rattled, though. I hope we can go into the deeper waters and maybe then it (experience) will be somewhat of a benefit, but I’m expecting Paul to get in there and be ready to go.
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Paul’s ability to strike. I know he’ll be on the same page as me from that first bell and we’ll put on an excellent show.”
It appears both Taylor and Lytle almost know each other too well. Yet familiarity and expectancy can often wind up surprising you, biting you in the backside. Placing too much emphasis on assumption and prediction is something which came back to haunt Lytle in his last contest – a frustrating points loss to wrestler-turned-striker-turned-wrestler Josh Koscheck at UFC 86. Expecting a more ruthless, improved and strike-happy opponent, Lytle was left deflated by the course the bout took.
“At first I wasn’t super-excited about the Koscheck fight, but then they started saying Josh was standing up a lot more and was trying to prove he was getting better on his feet,” explains Lytle. “I felt, okay, he’s going to stand up – great. As it turned out he pretty much wanted to take me down the whole time.
“I was really disappointed by the fight. I was looking forward to him showcasing his stand-up ability against me. I thought if he stood in front of me I’d land punches on him and we’d truly see just how much he’d improved and how good his chin was. Unfortunately, he never brought that aspect to the fight. I kinda figured that would happen.”
Ultimately, Lytle’s much-vaunted power acted as a curse. A down side. After all, who in their right mind would voluntarily stand in the pocket and exchange blows with a renowned knockout artist like Lytle? They don’t call him ‘Lights Out’ for his ability to fix electrical problems.
“I see this fight with Paul going a little bit of everywhere,” continues Chris. “I guarantee Paul this – I’m not looking to go out there and take him down right away. I wouldn’t be surprised if it ended up at the ground at some point, but I’ll be there standing to begin with. I’m just hoping it’s a full-on fight for 15 minutes and that everyone is talking about it when we finish. One thing I really like is when other fighters or UFC fans come up to me and say, man, that fight you had two or three years ago was brilliant.
That’s the kind of stuff I’m really interested in. I hope to get a couple more of those kinda fights on my resume.”
Described by Taylor as a “gatekeeper of the welterweight division”, Lytle nods along reluctantly with such a sentiment. He’s not irked to be in that position, it’s just he harbours ambitions and landmark victories of his own – even at 34 years of age and with years of combat behind him.
“I hate to label myself as something like that but it’s pretty much been the case,” he admits. “Against my bigger-name opponents I’ve always gone close and always been pretty competitive in victory or defeat. There’s been a decision loss here and there and usually when someone squeaks by a decision win over me they’re in line for a title shot. It feels like that’s always been the case.
“It’s probably kind of weird but I feel I’m getting better as a fighter. I’m still expanding my game and still looking to break into the top tier of the division. I’m still looking to go places.”
Lytle’s next destination is the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England. Marking only the second time ‘Lights Out’ has graced British shores, the magnificent Midlands venue also acts as home to Walsall’s Taylor.
“I’m very excited about coming to England,” claims Lytle. “I’ve fought there once before and really enjoyed it.
“I know I’m not going to be the hometown hero there but I like getting away from home when I fight. I really don’t like fighting near my home. There are too many distractions and too much going on. I’m happy to be the ‘bad guy’, or whatever you want to call it, on October 18. I just want to go there and get everything straightened out – not have any distractions – and just get ready for a great fight.”
With fighters like Lytle and Taylor, you don’t have to worry about boasts. The ‘I’m going to do this and that’ type of lines. ‘I’m going to win it this way’. ‘He’s inferior to me in every department’. With Lytle and Taylor, the common theme of conversation is exactly the same. Put on a great fight and go home happy. The winning and losing of the matter is a mere formality. It’s not important.
“Oh, man, I agree with that philosophy 100%,” says Lytle. “I’ve said that many times in the past, too. I’d definitely rather lose a close decision in a Fight of the Night and have people coming up to me and talking about the fight two years later than win a stinker. You win a boring fight and nobody cares about it, nobody talks about it.
“It’s probably been mainly in the last two years that I’ve completely adopted that philosophy to the way I fight. I had that fight with Matt Serra – a fight I thought I won but ended up losing. People were very unsatisfied with that fight. Not only did I feel I won a boring fight but, at the end of the day, I ended up losing a boring fight. That’s like the worst thing you can do as a fighter.”
Have no fear. Whether in victory or defeat, there’s a good chance both Lytle and Taylor will walk away winners from UFC 89.
| " | “I see this fight with Paul going a little bit of everywhere,” |
