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[killakem1]

UFC 119's resurgent Chris Lytle aiming for title shot

INDIANAPOLIS – Following Saturday's UFC 119 event, Chris Lytle's recent accomplishments obviously were hard to ignore.

In front a hometown crowd at Indianapolis' Conseco Fieldhouse, he easily defeated a former champ in Matt Serra (11-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC), picked up his fourth straight UFC win, and improved his UFC record to a solid .500.

And given his recent success, Lytle (30-17-5 MMA, 9-9 UFC) thinks the time may be coming for a title shot. But he only wants it under certain conditions.

Lytle, who's won seven of the UFC's lucrative "fight-night" bonuses to pocket an additional $310,000 in extra pay, out-muscled, out-struck and out-worked Serra en route to a shutout (30-27) unanimous-decision victory. On a largely lackluster pay-per-view main card, the Indy firefighter was a bright spot and was the clear fan favorite with the event's nearly 16,000 attendees.

The 36-year-old's career resurgence, which features his longest win streak in six years, followed Lytle's self-imposed mandate to post entertaining performances at all costs.

Many fighters often say such things, but few follow through as Lytle has. And so far, his strategy – which he adopted after a unspectacular loss to Serra in the finale of "The Ultimate Fighter 4" – has worked.

So even if a title shot were to be on the line, he doesn't plan on changing anything about his recent approach.

"I think I've won like four in a row now," Lytle told MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com). "Obviously, I'm trying to climb that ladder and work my way up to a title.

"But at the same time, I'm not willing to [employ] a win-at-all-costs mentality. If it's going to be a boring fight, I'd rather go out there right now and fight the best fight of my life and lose a decision than fight the worst one and win one."

And if he does that, he thinks the title shot will come in time.

"I'm trying to win the right way, and I think they'll reward that if I keep doing that," Lytle optimistically said. "They'll reward me for that."

UFC president Dana White didn't disagree. Granted, any fighter who strings together a couple wins is "in contention" in his eyes. It's common post-fight-press-conference fodder, and White rarely will call any winning fighter a non-contender.

But White clearly was impressed by Lytle, a one-man marketing machine, leading up to UFC 119, and it resulted in some stellar press from the local media. In fact, the UFC dominance over boxing was a 1A feature in Saturday's "Indianapolis Star," and during Thursday's press conference, a local sports-show host introduced himself to White, said he never considered himself an MMA fan, but soon became one after he got to know Lytle.

So throw in that marketability and his recent success, and White is happy to tell you where Lytle ranks among the UFC's other 170-pounders.

"He's in the mix (for a title shot)," White said. "It was a big night for him against Serra."

For complete coverage of UFC 119, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of MMAjunkie.com.

[xraygex]

Lytle vs diego/paulo winner please, or condit vs hardy winner or loser. theres a bunch of awsome fights for lytle. Always have loved this guy brings excitement and is such a humble dude.

Lytle for prez !

[kickass32]

How can you not love this guy??? Lytle is awesome. There are a lot of fighters out there who should follow how Lytle handles himself.

[Daellusx]

Chris "The People's Champion" Lytle. I would rather he not have a title and keep putting on exciting fights than have him in play it safe to get a title. As long as Lytle keeps fighting to please the fans he is guaranteed a job in the UFC and some very nice bonuses. Whenever his contract comes up for negotiation he's gonna be making some nice cash i bet.

[HillbillyDeluxe]

Chris is a class act. he's an active member in the community and an Indianapolis Fire Fighter. He still works for IFD and trains, yet doesnt miss a beat. I've had the privilige of meeting him and he really is just an all around nice guy. He's been one of my favorite fighters since i saw him on The Ultimate Fighter season 4 and been watching him ever since. Cant wait to see him move up the ranks closer to a title shot, he has alot of good fight potential and always puts on a good show. He wont be going away anytime soon, dont let that UFC record of 9-9 fool you, he's got a ton of heart and talent. Cant wait to see who he fights next!

[DanC]

HOW was this fight not fight of the night?!? I actually don't understand it. It was back and forth and offered the most exciting viewing for the audience. Granted it was not the most technical fight, but these guys went out there, slugged it out, put it all on the line, and left it all in the octagon, all for the fans at home. Huge respect for both of these guys.