Serra Loss Forced Style Change, Lytle Says

Chris Lytle has 51 professional mixed martial arts fights under his belt, but the bout that taught him the most may have been his split decision loss to former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra at “The Ultimate Fighter 4” Finale in November 2006.

Serra turned the win into a title shot and went on to dethrone Georges St. Pierre in one of the biggest upsets in MMA history. Lytle was left to ponder what might have been. Now, nearly four years later, he has a chance to avenge that defeat when he faces Serra in a featured welterweight matchup at UFC 119 “Mir vs. Cro Cop” on Saturday at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

“Back then, I remember thinking I had to win at all costs,” Lytle said during a recent appearance on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Savage Dog Show.” “Looking back, it wasn’t even fair how much pressure they put on us for that fight. That’s why I think both of us went out there not wanting to lose and not laying it on the line. Somebody had to win, and he won.

“Looking back, I’m glad the way things happened the way they did because I changed the way I am mentally,” he added. “I’ve overcome adversity and changed my style, and it’s really paid off for me. A lot more people like to watch me fight than before, and it’s directly because of that fight.”

Lytle, 8-9 in 17 Octagon appearances, remains one of just two fighters -- UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva is the other -- to earn seven performance bonus checks during his time with the UFC. He has won “Fight of the Night” honors four times, “Submission of the Night” twice and “Knockout of the Night” once. The Integrated Fighting Academy representative believes the loss to Serra made him look for finishes wherever possible.

“You look at judges and referees; it all depends on what they’re looking at,” said Lytle, who has 20 submissions among his 29 victories. “If they’re looking at who’s landing more punches, that was me. If you look at who’s controlling where the fight is happening, or ring control, that was him. You could see the contrast there because one judge gave all three rounds to him and one judge gave all three rounds to me.

“At the same time, I think both guys went out there and didn’t care to try and finish the fight,” he added. “We were just trying to win. It wasn’t like we were beating each other up. We were just barely getting by. I guarantee the judges had trouble scoring each round, so I just look forward to the fact that you’re going to have a couple of guys who won’t be thinking like that this time.”

If the 36-year-old Lytle, an Indianapolis native, had his way, none of his fights would reach the judges.

“I’m going to go out there and try to finish every fight from now on,” said Lytle. “Whether it happens or not, that’s my goal. If it goes the distance, I’m just going to mark that up as a loss. I might win a decision, but that’s a bonus to me. I got lucky if I win a decision. I don’t want to leave it in their hands. You never know never what’s going to happen.

“I could’ve fought Matt Serra on a different night, and maybe two judges would’ve given it to me,” he added. “You don’t know. It’s a crapshoot. I’m just going to go out there and fight and not let it go the distance, and if it does, then you know I did everything I could to finish it.”

Serra, a fellow 36-year-old who has seven finishes among his 11 victories, can be expected to accommodate Lytle’s need for a hard fight. The former champion will enter on the strength of his knockout against Frank Trigg at UFC 109 in February and has shown a desire to trade strikes when the opportunity arises.

“I think he’ll say that he wants to show everybody he can knock me out, and I think I’m going to say the same thing,” Lytle said. “I’m going to try and win any way possible. Everybody can be submitted and everybody can be knocked out, so I think we’re both going to try and do that to each other.”

Win or lose, Lytle will be back at his firefighting job on Monday and has no plans to give up either of his careers anytime soon.

“When you wake up in the morning and you’re happy to go to work, how do you decide to quit that?” asked Lytle. “I enjoy going to work. I like the people I work with. I can’t ever see myself getting rid of that. Knowing I’m going to be happy going to work, I don’t really want to stop that, so I’m not willing to. I’ve got two jobs I like. I’m very lucky, and I’m going to do this as long as possible. I enjoy both aspects of my life.”