Regrouped After February Upset Loss, Chris Lytle Not Ruling Out UFC Title Run

Filed under: UFC, NewsMILWAUKEE – There are workaholics, and then there is Chris Lytle.

When he’s not training for a UFC fight – and going into his 20th with the promotion, he’s among the all-time leaders – he’s working as an Indianapolis firefighter…

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MILWAUKEE – There are workaholics, and then there is Chris Lytle.

When he’s not training for a UFC fight – and going into his 20th with the promotion, he’s among the all-time leaders – he’s working as an Indianapolis firefighter. And he recently said when he stops scrapping in the cage, he wouldn’t mind taking a stab at Indiana state politics – he even put an exploratory committee together to see how he’d fare in an election. Then there’s his family, with four kids.

It would occur to most people to wonder, geez – does the guy ever take a break? Maybe not retire just yet, though Lytle will turn 37 next week. But just stop going for a few days?

“After this last fight, I had a lot of injuries and that was one of the things I was contemplating,” Lytle told MMA Fighting on Friday after a short workout in Milwaukee, where he’ll fight Dan Hardy in the main event of UFC on Versus 5 on Sunday. “I don’t want to keep fighting if I can’t perform like I’ve been doing. So I took some time off, hung out with the family a little bit and let my body heal up. I actually got to relax a little bit – it was pretty cool. I had about a month where I didn’t do too much. That’s a rarity.”

(Of course, that month where he “didn’t do too much” still involved working at the firehouse.) And then that switch in his head clicked back over, the one that doesn’t really allow him to take breaks. The one that doesn’t really allow him to relax.

“I don’t like to take much time off – after a couple days, it’s like something’s missing,” Lytle (30-18-5, 9-10 UFC) said. “I start to get in a bad mood, and my wife’s like, ‘You need to go to the gym.’ I love to take breaks, but it just never happens. I feel like I have a lot of responsibilities, a lot of goals – I think I’m just too goal-oriented. Once I get something on my mind, it’s hard for me to get it out.”

Right now, what’s on Lytle’s mind is getting back in the win column. In February, his name was being tossed around as a possible title challenger for Georges St-Pierre‘s welterweight belt. His four-fight winning streak, while not overwhelming, was the kind of run that if it hit five, then six, a title shot would have been realistic.

But then Brian Ebersole came along. He pulled one of the year’s biggest upsets in front of his home Australian crowd, taking the fight on short notice and sending Lytle back into the middle of the pack at 170 pounds. Lytle said everything about that fight at UFC 127 felt wrong.

“That was a lose-lose situation for me,” Lytle said. “I knew I wasn’t physically where I should be, and I knew nobody knew who this guy was. Unless I went out there and knocked him out in 30 seconds, everyone would say, ‘Chris didn’t look good tonight.’ And I knew I wasn’t going to do that – no one’s ever knocked him out, he’s a good wrestler, he hasn’t lost a fight in five years. I knew he was going to be tough, and there was very little to gain. I knew I had a lot working against me.”

Against Hardy (23-9, 1 NC, 4-3 UFC), Lytle is back in the type of fight he loves the most – the potential for a good old fashioned scrap. That’s what Hardy has been practically begging for since he was “punked” by Anthony Johnson in March. Hardy claims Johnson told him personally he wanted to have a knock-down, drag-out slugfest of a fight, then wrestled his way to a decision victory.

But Lytle again on Friday said Hardy has very little to worry about in that department. After all, you don’t win eight UFC fight night bonuses by fighting safe and playing for points with the judges.

“I do take a lot of pride that the UFC has put us in the main event,” Lytle said. “I know they do that for a reason – they want fireworks. They want a fight people want to see. These are the kinds of fights I want. There’s no thought in my head of pulling an Anthony Johnson. I got to get that W, but I’d rather lose the fight than win it like that.”

Though Lytle admits to giving some thought to hanging up the gloves after his loss to Ebersole, he said it will be his body that will dictate how long he stays in the game. And even though he had to go back to Square One in the title picture after the loss, he wouldn’t put a title run down the line beyond the realm of possibility for him.

“I feel that if you go out there and just grind it out to try and get a title, you’re going to have to win eight or nine fights in a row to get a title fight,” Lytle said. “If I go out there and just put on great fights – and I’m trying to win all of them – and win in spectacular fashion, it’s not going to take eight fights. It’s going to take a few. I feel like I’m still on the radar, and if I get a couple wins …”

Lytle has time for very little in his schedule, but he’d make time for one last run at a UFC belt.

Lytle and Hardy fight in the main event of UFC on Versus 5, which airs Sunday at 9 p.m. Easter on the Versus cable channel.

 

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UFC News: BJ Penn Is Hopeful for UFC to Host an Event in Hawaii in the Future

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s international expansion into foreign territory has generated a lot of success for the promotion over the past couple of years.And if UFC lightweight BJ Penn has his way, the company could be making its way into his …

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s international expansion into foreign territory has generated a lot of success for the promotion over the past couple of years.

And if UFC lightweight BJ Penn has his way, the company could be making its way into his homeland in the near future. 

Penn was recently featured in a news report conducted by Hawaiian News Now, and the Hilo native said his dream of fighting in Hawaii couldn’t happen sooner rather than later.

“Our Governor, Neil Abercrombie, wants to bring the UFC down. He’s willing to do whatever it takes, and I think now, maybe, they’re just looking for a venue,” Penn told Hawaiian News Now.

However, Penn’s active pursuit of bringing mixed martial arts to Hawaii would happen without some problems along the way.

He said one the problems is there is no venue to host the event, and with Hilo being of the few places to law a stadium, it makes it difficult to host an event.

In the meantime, Penn is set to open up a UFC-based gym in the immediate future, likely set for January of 2012.

The gym, which will carry Penn’s name, is an opportunity the UFC veteran decided to venture into because he said the gym would serve as an outlet for the community and for kids who take an interest in the sport. 

“It seems like they really want to do some work and help the community, get kids in there,” he said. 

Penn, who is currently sidelined with an injury, last competed against Jon Fitch at UFC 127

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Clay Guida and the 5 Biggest Winners If UFC Institutes 5-Round Non-Title Fights

Brock Lesnar versus Junior dos Santos’ June 11 heavyweight tangle at UFC 131 was meant to be the UFC’s first five-round non-title fight, UFC President Dana White recently revealed in Toronto.That fight fell through, but the UFC’s…

Brock Lesnar versus Junior dos Santos’ June 11 heavyweight tangle at UFC 131 was meant to be the UFC’s first five-round non-title fight, UFC President Dana White recently revealed in Toronto.

That fight fell through, but the UFC’s plans for five-round non-title fights haven’t. There are no shortage of candidates that stand to benefit from such a policy, although a few fighters stand out for their style, stature and substance.

Here are five UFC fighters that would benefit most from five-round non-title fights. 

5) Brad Pickett

The British bantamweight’s last three bouts were all-around, back-and-forth 15-minute grueling battles.

He came up victorious versus Demetrious Johnson and Ivan Menjivar and was unanimously defeated by Scott Jorgensen in between.

Anchored at American Top Team, Pickett has developed the cardio to push his grit around the cage more effectively than a straight-banger style.

In a division loaded with incredible pace, Pickett is a contender that can be increasingly dangerous as the clock ticks on. 

 

4) Jim Miller

The most impressive feat Gray Maynard accomplished before beating Frankie Edgar in a potential 10-7 first round of a title fight was dominating Jim Miller.

That’s because Jim Miller is nearly impossible to take out of a fight and he’s proven that by responding to the Maynard loss with a two-year, seven-fight win streak. 

The AMA Fight Club representative has a potent blend of ill-intentioned wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, throwing his hands better with each outing. 

Well-rounded, all-in fighters like Matt Wiman, Mac Danzig, Mark Bocek, Gleson Tibau and Kamal Shalorus have all fallen to Miller’s ability to seize control fights with bull-headed steamrolling.

He’s proven ready for the upper echelon of the division by performing in 15-minute fights like 25-minute fights would be just another day on the job. 

 

3) Michael Bisping

Michael “The Count” Bisping’s cardio is apparent in his ability to play a strong stick-and-move striking game.

It also shines when the Brit turns it up, sits on his punches and fights to finish. He has been able to stay off his back because he is always fresh enough to pop back up if the fight hits the mat.

Consistent footwork and output have carved The Ultimate Fighter season three winner’s place at 185-pounds as perennial contender. 

If there was an ideal striking candidate at middleweight for five-round non-title fights, it’s Michael Bisping.

The skill level in mixed martial arts elevates daily and is represented well in fighters like Bisping, Georges St. Pierre and Frankie Edgar, who are clear-cut winners due to efficiency and strategy while confusing the competition with multiple looks. 

 

2) Jon Fitch

The term “grinder” in mixed martial arts latches on to no one more than Jon Fitch.

American Kickboxing Academy’s welterweight insists if his all fights went into the championship rounds, his last six wins—and his February draw with B.J. Penn—would have been finishes instead of unanimous decisions.

Posting a 10-8 round versus the former two-division champion was no easy feat from inside Penn’s guard—a testament to the suffocating style that has kept Fitch’s record since 2002 spotless outside of dropping a unanimous decision to champion Georges St-Pierre.  

Extra time is just extra time to impose his will and few, if any, welterweights can deal with that for 25-minutes. 

 

1) Clay Guida

“The Carpenter” is simply wired differently. Guida runs to the cage on his surplus supply of high-energy and never rests once inside the Octagon.

He’s had championship cardio since 2006 and that was illustrated best as his Octagon career progressed with classic scraps with Tyson Griffin, Roger Huerta and Diego Sanchez.

The Chicagoan’s performances never waver in entertainment value, crafting a fan base that matches his energy. 

Fighters like Clay Guida beg the question if non-title fights can be five-rounds, is there room for seven-round title fights?

Too much, maybe, but some mixed martial arts still have a no-holds-barred, no-time limit spirit and Guida has the cardio to make it seem practical. 

Danny Acosta is the lead writer at FIGHT! Magazine. Follow him on twitter.com/acostaislegend

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UFC News: Jon Fitch Has ‘No Pain’ Following Shoulder Surgery

According to MMAConvert.com, UFC welterweight Jon Fitch had successful surgery after he suffered a shoulder injury during his bout against BJ Penn, at UFC 127. Fitch posted via Twitter earlier today following his surgery and he seems to be in grea…

According to MMAConvert.com, UFC welterweight Jon Fitch had successful surgery after he suffered a shoulder injury during his bout against BJ Penn, at UFC 127

Fitch posted via Twitter earlier today following his surgery and he seems to be in great spirits.

“Awake and feeling like a million bucks,” Fitch said. 

While the American Kickboxing Academy fighter has not confirmed a return to the Octagon, he is expected to be out of action for six months.

However the injury has not affected Fitch completely. MMAConvert.com also reports he attended a UFC 129 after party last weekend in Toronto, where he and AKA teammate Cain Velasquez ran into BJ Penn.

“I saw him in Toronto and we were at the bar. I walked over to say hello…and the next thing I know somebody was shooting a single-leg [takedown] on me. I look down and it’s B.J., laughing his a– off,” Fitch said. “We’re on good terms, but I still want to kick the crap out of him.”

One can only assume what Fitch’s intentions are once he is medically cleared to return to the Octagon. 

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Jon Fitch Says He and GSP Both Deserve Some Criticism for Decisions

Few fighters can claim to be as familiar as Jon Fitch is with the criticism UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre is getting these days. Like GSP, Fitch is a dominant 170-pounder who’s known for winning decisions. Also like GSP, he’s taken heat …

Few fighters can claim to be as familiar as Jon Fitch is with the criticism UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre is getting these days. Like GSP, Fitch is a dominant 170-pounder who’s known for winning decisions. Also like GSP, he’s taken heat for it from fans and media.

But if you’re expecting Fitch to be especially sympathetic to St. Pierre’s cause after UFC 129 ended in the fourth straight decision win for the champ, you might be surprised by what he told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour.

“A little bit,” Fitch replied, when asked whether the criticism of St. Pierre is warranted. “I think, you know, I deserve some of that criticism too. But when he’s dominating somebody that well, I think it’s up to the champ to put a little more pressure on somebody in the fourth and fifth round. When you’ve secured a pretty solid lead on the scorecards after three rounds, I think a little bit more pressure, because he never really opened up more than a couple jabs and an overhand right. I mean, double up on the right, something.”

B.J. Penn: ‘I Feel My Clock Ticking’

Filed under: UFCIn the Octagon that night, former UFC champ B.J. Penn sounded like a defeated, deflated fighter. He’d just fought to a draw with Jon Fitch at UFC 127, and yet the way he talked in his post-fight interview, it sounded like he might be re…

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In the Octagon that night, former UFC champ B.J. Penn sounded like a defeated, deflated fighter. He’d just fought to a draw with Jon Fitch at UFC 127, and yet the way he talked in his post-fight interview, it sounded like he might be ready to walk away from MMA for good.

But as Penn told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, that was just the disappointment talking.

“I guess I was just bummed out because I know I can beat that guy, and there I was getting my butt kicked in the third round and ending up with a draw,” Penn said.