After earning Fight of the Night and Submission of the Night honors in a win over Dan Hardy at UFC on Versus 5, Chris Lytle retired in style.
In addition to his unmatched fighting spirit that helped him to earn a record 10 UFC fight bonuses, the aging legends of MMA‘s first generation should take heed of the fashion in which Lytle decided to exit the sport.
In recent years, we have seen some of the greatest fighters in the short history of the sport tarnishing their own legacies by continuing to fight well past their expiration date. Despite being knocked out in four of his last six fights, Chuck Liddell, one of the most dominant champions in UFC history, had to be forced into retirement by UFC President Dana White.
What drives these MMA greats to continue competing when they have nothing left to give?
These fighters such as Liddell and Fedor Emelianenko possess a fighting spirit that won’t allow them to stop chasing something that might not even be attainable.
However, that same spirit lies within Lytle.
What allowed Lytle give up fighting when others with the same fighting spirit could not?
Lytle’s drive for competition didn’t dissipate whatsoever. Just as he had for his whole career, Lytle had the fans on the edges of their seats as he swung for the fences against Hardy.
Instead of having the fight beaten out of him, Lytle has decided to re-channel the energy that made him one of the most exciting fighters the sport has ever seen. In addition to a planned run at the Indiana State Senate, Lytle wants to dedicate more time to his family.
After his win over Hardy, Lytle’s children joined him in a touching moment inside the Octagon. The scene was a complete contrast from a somewhat depressing incident in October, 2006, when Mark Coleman—in another case of not knowing when to call it quits—brought his daughters in the the Pride ring after being defeated by Emelianenko.
Since MMA history is so short, the greats of the sport’s first wave of fighters have no precedent to follow in terms of how to exit. Until one of them takes a page out of Lytle’s book, they are going to continue being partially remembered for going out on someone else’s terms.
By taking a fight with a well-known and entertaining fighter in a bout that he felt he could win, the ending to Lytle’s 12-year MMA career could not have been written better. As a reward for his victory in the main event, UFC sponsor Harley Davidson even provided Lytle with a 2012 Softail Blackline motorcycle to ride off into the sunset with.
Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. Sean has also had his work featured on UFC.com. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA.
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