Was Chris Lytle the most underrated fighter ever?

Pakman said:
Sherk, Shields, Igor, and Murilo mother fuckin Bustamante (my pick for most underrated fighter in history) are probably the top guys when one mentions underrated fighters.

To TS, Lytle was the man. He embodied what being a fighter was. Not an A level athlete, not some new breed shit talker, just a guy who went out to scrap and gave it his all each and every time out. The guy was a warrior through and through and I have nothing but respect for the man.
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Sherk, Vovchanchyn, and Bustamante all received a lot of credit during their primes. Shields did not. This, I think, separates him from the rest. Maybe history has (unfairly) forgotten the other 3, but Shields NEVER got his due. And he deserved it. Still does.
 
Idk he got wrecked by Brian Ebersole

It was such a depressing fight to watch
 
Miss that fucking guy.
 
I love how he went out of the Sport on his own terms in order to spend more time with his family. He seems like a very down to Earth person. I actually hit him up on Facebook back in the day and he personally responded back to me and was very gracious and humble. He's still active in the Sport (Podcasts and such) but he's just not fighting now. Always thought he was a credit to himself and to the Sport.
 
How about the way Lytle finished Brown with an armbar while having him locked down in a mounted reverse triangle! o_O

You don't see something like that everyday - He was a true savage, so was Kazuo Misaki who people never mentions.
 
I've long thought of him as the definition of "gatekeeper" (and I mean that very much as a title of respect).

solid boxing and a black belt level sub game, despite no formal BJJ belt (AFAIK).
 
Lytle had heart, skill, and didn't fight like a punk.

He should be required watching for all fighters.
 
For me, I Always thought TJ Grant was underrated and left the sport too early. Racked up 5 wins in a row until he had to retire and was never finished in the UFC. Not the most underrated but certainly was.
 
Ogata said:
I was watching old fights and I remember that this dude has fought EVERYBODY!

His list of opponents are, Matt Hughes, Matt Serra, Karo Parisyan, Joe Riggs, Nick Diaz, Thiago Alves and many more but one fought that was epic was his fight with Robbie Lawler.

Robbie knocked him down and on the way down Chris started clapping. It was epic and in his retirement fight, he finished Dan Hardy who was coming off a decision loss to GSP.

One thing to mention is, he had 13-1-1 record in pro boxing and as far as MMA goes, he has never been finished except two cut losses against Joe Riggs and Thaigo Alves which was a decision made by officials and he himself always protested it.

Did Chris have the hardest fights?

Was he championship material?


Oh and I just checked and realized, Chris has pretty much fought EVERY prominent fighter of the early-mid 2000s era except BJ Penn and Sanchez.
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No, he was a heavily celebrated fighter at the very end of his career. The reason you made this thread is probably because of how hyped he got.
 
bareyb said:
I love how he went out of the Sport on his own terms in order to spend more time with his family. He seems like a very down to Earth person. I actually hit him up on Facebook back in the day and he personally responded back to me and was very gracious and humble. He's still active in the Sport (Podcasts and such) but he's just not fighting now. Always thought he was a credit to himself and to the Sport.
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I always point out Chris as the GOAT retirement.

Won five of his last six, went out on his own terms, took home a big dominant submission win in his final fight.

All around a class act.

Lytle was fairly well rounded, especially for his era, and arguably was an overachiever. He didn't have the high level athletic gifts of some of the best guys, but could compete with them on skill, savvy and toughness.
 
What does Lytle do now, after retiring?
Does he train younger guys?
 
He wasn't ever a title contender but he was an absolute warrior. He mostly lost to top level competition and he was never an easy fight for anyone.

He was also tougher than a 2 dollar steak and never broke under pressure, always did his best to be as entertaining as possible. He also worked a full time job so fist fighting in a steel cage was his hobby. Huge respect to him, I miss Lytle, we don't get fighters like that anymore.
 
How is he underrated? He was an exciting fighter but even at his best he was a gatekeeper
 
Ogata said:
I was watching old fights and I remember that this dude has fought EVERYBODY!

His list of opponents are, Matt Hughes, Matt Serra, Karo Parisyan, Joe Riggs, Nick Diaz, Thiago Alves and many more but one fought that was epic was his fight with Robbie Lawler.

Robbie knocked him down and on the way down Chris started clapping. It was epic and in his retirement fight, he finished Dan Hardy who was coming off a decision loss to GSP.

One thing to mention is, he had 13-1-1 record in pro boxing and as far as MMA goes, he has never been finished except two cut losses against Joe Riggs and Thaigo Alves which was a decision made by officials and he himself always protested it.

Did Chris have the hardest fights?

Was he championship material?


Oh and I just checked and realized, Chris has pretty much fought EVERY prominent fighter of the early-mid 2000s era except BJ Penn and Sanchez.
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Thank you for this thread TS. excellent.



Lytle was the fucking man and would have finished GSP. MARK MY WORDS!!!!!!!
 
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