Long time UFC veteran Chris “Lights Out” Lytle has announced his intent to retire following tonight’s bout with Dan Hardy. NBC Sports first reported the news.
Lytle had this to say about his decision to retire:
“I’ve been fighting since ’98, fighting forever, a lot of it is just that I’m not doing my responsibilities like I need to at home. I feel like I’m not being the type of dad I want to. I got four kids and lots of times I feel just an immense sense of guilt for not being there in times when I should.
I just feel like I have a lot of things in my head that I feel guilty about,” he said. “I have a great time fighting, and I love fighting — I want to do it all the time — but I think that sometimes it’s time for me to not think about what I want and start thinking about what’s best for other people.”
Lytle informed the UFC earlier this week of intent to retire and thanked the organization for the opportunities they gave him. While there has been some talk of a political future for Lytle, Lytle indicated that his retirement from MMA had nothing to do with his political aspirations.
A fan favorite, Lytle has made the most of the opportunities given to him through hard work. After a few tough runs in the UFC, Lytle returned to the promotion for “The Ultimate Fighter 4: The Comeback,” where he earned a slot in the finals opposite Matt Serra. After that fight, Lytle would go on to have an entertaining run in the UFC that netted him five “Fight of the Night” awards, two “Submission of the Night” awards, and one “Knockout of the Night” award.
Regardless of the outcome for the “UFC on Versus 5″ main event, Lytle will always be remembered for being an exciting fighter and most of all a class act.
