Is Sunday night Chris Lytle's last stand?

Quote :

Any athlete nearing the end will, in their most
candid moment, admit that they fantasize about going out on top. About
having one last great run, then walking away while crowds continue
cheering their name. It rarely happens, of course. Most athletes either
chase every last dollar or continue long past their prime, their mind
unable to distinguish what the rest of us can plainly see. On
Sunday night, in the main event of UFC Live on Versus, Chris Lytle -- a
12-year veteran of the sport who made his UFC debut in 2000 -- will
fight for the 53rd time as a professional mixed martial artist. It will
be the 20th fight of his octagon career, tying BJ Penn for fifth
all-time. He's won nightly bonus awards eight times, tied for the most
all-time with current middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
His
association with those legends is no stroke of luck. Though he’s never
quite reached the heights of Penn or Silva, he's always been a pro's
pro. Never was that better exemplified than before his last bout.

Four weeks before he was scheduled to fight in February, he had secret
surgery to remove the injured meniscus in his right knee. That sounds
excruciatingly painful and horrific, but Lytle never truly entertained
the idea of withdrawing from the event. Why? Because he had given his
word to be there. While that sounds honorable enough, keep in mind that
he was in the midst of a four-fight win streak and knew that a loss
could derail his last run towards the belt. Keep in mind that his
originally scheduled opponent, the highly ranked Carlos Condit, pulled
out with a knee injury of his own, giving Lytle every opportunity to bow
out rather than face a lesser-known replacement.

Instead, he faced Brian Ebersole on short notice and was upset. True
to form, he was awarded "Fight of the Night" for his gutsy performance.
True to form, he never discussed the surgery or used it as an excuse.
It only came to light after a source close to him revealed it, simply
wanting to highlight his bravery and gameness.
On
Sunday, Lytle fights Dan Hardy, another blue-collar scrapper who once
rose as high as No. 1 contender in the welterweight division. Hardy has
fallen on hard times lately, dropping three straight fights, but his
style practically guarantees Lytle a style matchup that will leave him
smiling.
In the recent past, Lytle
considered retirement. Shortly after he lost to Ebersole, Lytle's
manager Ken Pavia told me that Lytle would ponder the possibility of
hanging up his gloves for good. He ultimately decided against it, opting
to accept the fight with Hardy.
But Lytle
has also voiced an interest in other life options that make you wonder
if this might indeed be his last time in the cage. Just last month, he
announced he had formed an exploratory committee for a possible 2012
Indiana state house bid.
Asked recently if a
dominant win over Hardy would cause him to eschew his political
ambition and re-focus his MMA goals, Lytle said it wouldn't cause him to
waver.
"This is kind of something that’s
important to me and something that I’ve been looking into for a long
time," he said. "And I don’t just jump into something on a whim. I’ve
thought about this a lot and you know, it’s something that I care about
and live in. I’d like to try and help out and make a difference if
possible."
Lytle is also a full-time firefighter in Indianapolis, and has four children with his wife Kristin.
With
the time commitments of family life, his job, a potential run for
public office and the fact that he turns 37 next week, the signs are
there that he's winding down his pro career.
A
fighter to the end, Lytle has the ground game to give Hardy fits. His
grappling has often been an undervalued part of his game, as evidenced
by the 21 submissions among his 30 pro wins, but he is unlikely to force
the fight to a place where it may stall. He’s always fought with
entertainment value in mind as much as winning, and Sunday won't be any
different.
"They didn’t pick me and Dan to
be there to put on a boring fight," he said. "So if you think I’m going
to try to sit there and get him on the ground and hold him down for 15
minutes and then dry hump him, that’s not going to happen. So you’re
going to get what you pay for. You’re going to get a good fight out of
it. That’s all I can guarantee."

Source

Man I really hope its not his last fight, I love his fights! He's one of those guys that can and will end it anywhere.

Yea, and that's what will get him the win. Hardy's only chance of winning this fight is via punches. He has no kicks, no ground game, no wrestling, nada. Lytle is dangerous standing but also has a hugely underrated BJJ game. If he's smart, he can get this to the ground and tap Hardy...or at least control him to a decision

That was a great fight...perfect way to go out for Lytle. Actually the whole night was full of entertaining fights.

Yea, definitely agree. It's always good to see a fighter retire on a high note with no regrets. He knows he'll never be a title contender so he hung em up when he stopped having that passion for fighting. I read somewhere that he had trouble getting motivated to go and train for the fight - that's when he knew he should call it quits. Good for him I say.

Oh, and who called Lytle winning by sub? Look 2 posts up

Luckily for him he doesn't have M-1 for management. They would be damned if some one retires on a W... "theres still more money to be sucked from this stone."
I think had he not lost that last fight he could actually be in title contention... I say Dana gives him a Title fight send off.

"I love M1... they make me feel like a champ. .... meow!"

What in the hell......