Early career Lytle started training for fighting in 1998, saying that it was "something to keep me active". He trains part-time outside of his regular job as a firefighter, attending single-discipline gyms rather than MMA camps. He has held championships in the Hook N' Shoot and Absolute Fighting Championship promotions and won the
Cage Rage World Welterweight Championship. He became the 175 lb Indiana state boxing champion, saying, "By the end of the year (2004), I think I'll have a few more smaller boxing titles."
Ultimate Fighting Championship In 2006 Lytle was a contestant on
The Ultimate Fighter 4 on
Spike, where he defeated
Pete Spratt and
Din Thomas in exhibition bouts to proceed to the welterweight finale. On November 11,
Matt Serra defeated Lytle by split decision in The Ultimate Fighter 4 Finale. Lytle was the more active fighter standing up, with Serra tying up and using foot stomps until he got takedowns, at which time he became the more active fighter, with Lytle holding
guard and seemingly waiting for the referee to stand the fight up. Two judges scored the bout 30–27 for Serra and one judge scored the fight 30–27 for Lytle, but despite the scores the match was very close. He lost to former
UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes on March 3 at
UFC 68 in
Columbus, Ohio via unanimous decision. Lytle fought Jason Gilliam at
UFC 73 on July 7, 2007. Lytle controlled the pace of the fight in the first round and eventually brought Gilliam to the ground. Lytle worked from top position, and eventually sunk in an inverted
triangle choke from top position. To seal the fight he locked in an inverted
armbar on Gilliam's free arm, forcing him to tap. This fight earned him a
Submission of the Night award. At a United Fight League show taking place in
Indianapolis, Indiana on August 11, 2007, Lytle defeated
Matt Brown by a
guillotine choke in the second round. Chris later lost to
Thiago Alves at
UFC 78 via a controversial doctor stoppage due to a cut at the end of the second round. Many fans booed as the cut was under the eye and fairly small. Typically doctors stop fights when blood his seeping into a fighters eye and impede vision. This fight earned him his first
Fight of the Night award. Lytle went on to defeat Kyle Bradley at
UFC 81 by KO at 33 seconds of the first round. In an interview after the fight, Lytle stated that he had a new outlook on fighting; he would no longer pursue an "overly-technical" approach to each fight, but would go into his next fight and "not be afraid to lose." This fight earned him a $60,000
Knockout of the Night award. On July 5, 2008, at
UFC 86 Lytle lost to
Josh Koscheck in a UFC Welterweight title eliminator fight. Koscheck used an effective
ground and pound style to open up massive cuts on Lytle's face and ultimately won by decision. Lytle's next fight was against British fighter
Paul Taylor at
UFC 89 on October 18, 2008, in
Birmingham, England. Lytle won a unanimous decision (29–28, 30–27, and 29–28). The decision resulted in loud boos and Taylor was surprised at Lytle being awarded the judges' decision. This fight earned him a $40,000
Fight of the Night award. Lytle's next fight was on January 17, 2009, against
Marcus Davis at
UFC 93. Both fighters are former boxers and had discussed a potential fight in their futures since early 2008. Lytle called out Davis after his win at
UFC 89. He suggested that the fight take place in Ireland, where Davis had garnered a substantial following due to his emphasis on his Irish roots. Leading up to the event, both fighters promised to stand and trade blows for the entire fight, rather than engage in
grappling. Lytle managed to stun Davis several times, but Davis used superior footwork, counterpunching, and kicks to win a split decision The bout shared Fight of the Night honors with the
Coleman/
Rua co-main event, earning Lytle a $40,000 bonus. Lytle again won Fight of the Night at
The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale, defeating
Kevin Burns, Lytle received a $25,000 bonus along with
Diego Sanchez,
Clay Guida,
Joe Stevenson and
Nate Diaz whose respective fights also won Fight of the Night. He was scheduled to fight
Carlos Condit on September 16, 2009, at
UFC Fight Night 19, but had to pull out due to a knee injury. Lytle was expected to face
Dong Hyun Kim on February 21, 2010, at
UFC 110. This fight was later cancelled after Kim suffered a knee injury. Lytle instead faced
Brian Foster at
UFC 110 and was victorious via first round
kneebar submission. This fight earned him another
Submission of the Night award. Lytle defeated
Matt Brown on July 3, 2010, at
UFC 116 via straight
armbar/
triangle choke in a rematch from 2007. The submission was very technical and was a strong contender for yet another Submission of the Night bonus, but said award was won by
Brock Lesnar for the surprising
arm triangle choke used on
Shane Carwin, a choice that created minor controversy among fans. Although not another official fight bonus, Lytle was later awarded an undisclosed bonus for managing another exciting finish. Lytle faced former
UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Serra on September 25, 2010, at
UFC 119 in a rematch of their 2006 bout at
The Ultimate Fighter 4 Finale which he won via unanimous decision, out striking Serra throughout all three rounds. Lytle was expected to face
Carlos Condit on February 27, 2011, at
UFC 127. However, Condit was forced from the bout after suffering a knee injury while training and replaced by
UFC newcomer
Brian Ebersole. Ebersole defeated Lytle via unanimous decision (30–27, 29–28, and 29–28), winning a $75,000
Fight of the Night award. Lytle faced former UFC welterweight title contender
Dan Hardy on August 14, 2011, at
UFC on Versus 5. Chris Lytle stated at the weigh-ins he would retire after the bout regardless of the outcome. Regarding his retirement, Chris has been quoted as saying "“I feel like I’m not being the type of dad I want to. I got four kids and lots of time I feel just an immense sense of guilt for not being there in times when I should.” Lytle defeated Hardy via
guillotine choke submission in the third round after being successful early on by utilizing his superior boxing, thus closing out his MMA career with a victory and 10–10 record in the UFC. Lytle walked away with
Fight of the Night and
Submission of the Night honors, and earned a 2012
Softail Blackline motorcycle from
Harley-Davidson for the performance. ==Personal life==