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Chris Lytle says the Ali Act is the way to go when it comes to protecting fighters rights in MMA.
Chris Lytle warns fighters that unionizing may not be the best path to protecting athletes rights in mixed martial arts.
Lytle came from an era of MMA where bouncing between promotions was the norm. Fighter unionization is about as hot a topic now as it has ever been — thanks to outspoken athletes like Jorge Masvidal and Jon Jones, and the anonymous fighter survey conducted by The Athletic. Lytle (31-18-5) recommends fighters look less into unionizing and more to adopting the Ali Act.
“It’s not a one man show. If you want to go somewhere else, go somewhere else. If you’re entertaining, you’re going to get paid well,” Lytle told Bloody Elbow, pointing to big money offers from organizations like Bellator and ONE Championship. “I like more aspects of the Ali Act. I’m not sure if you want to go and totally unionize. It could cause a lot of problems and it can hurt everybody… It can make things way worse, I believe. There are a lot of unintended consequences that could come from that. Be careful what you ask for because there are unintended consequences and I think unionization would do that.”
One of the “unintended consequences” Lytle alluded to were how a union could disrupt the financial business of a promotion like UFC. For the uninitiated, the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act was enacted on May 26, 2000 to protect the rights and welfare of boxers; aid state boxing commissions with the oversight of boxing; and increase sportsmanship and integrity within the boxing industry.
Lytle, 45, retired from MMA with a third-round submission over Dan Hardy that earned him both Submission of the Night and Fight of the Night honours. “Lights Out” left the game on the best run of his UFC career, winning five of six over the likes of Hardy, Matt Sera, Matt Brown and Brian Foster. Lytle kept true to his retirement — a rare feat in the sport.
“The big thing is you need to find something else to keep you going,” Lytle shared. “I had four kids, I was always training and I missed a lot there life. I had knee surgery and for the first time in pretty much ever, I got to go some of their basketball practices and their gymnastic meets. Usually by the time they got home from school, I had to go to the gym.”
“I started feeling the guilt. I’m missing my kids life, they’re starting to get older and they’re going to leave in a few years,” he continued. “I decided to quit because I wanted to spend more time with my family. I had something I was interested in to transition to. The problem I think is when you only fight and don’t have anything else. You don’t have enough balance in your life. You’re always on extreme highs and extreme lows depending on if you win or lose. You have to find something else. Plan an exit strategy a long time before you’re ready to be done.”
Lytle is currently working on the upcoming Pancrase Hybrid History documentary along with Guy Mezger, Bas Rutten, Josh Barnett and fight promoter Doug Cartelli. The film is expected to premiere at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. All four fighters will appear at a dinner event in Los Angeles on July 17.