Chris Lytle has been fighting in the UFC for a long time with a shot at the title seemingly always just a few wins out of his reach. Despite dominating the fight early on in the stand-up, Lytle got crushed by a knee from Brian Ebersole that dropped him to the floor in the second round. Ebersole took over from that point on and Lytle never looked “right” after getting rocked allowing Ebersole to take the fight on the judges’ scorecards 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.
What was the high point of the fight?
Lytle’s impressive combinations in the first round and early part of the second round were must see stuff for people who appreciate striking that goes beyond haymakers and wild brawling. But the real high point was the crushing knee by Ebersole that turned the tide in the second.
Where do these guys go from here?
Lytle drops right out of the title picture but is always good for an entertaining scrap. I’m not sure exactly who he should fight next but it’ll be main card material as he tries to earn one title shot before fading away. As for Ebersole, I’d be lying if I said I was totally impressed and see huge things in his future. Still, he got the big upset win. I’d imagine that a fight against a recognizable but not great name is the next step. Anything but throwing him in against someone elite in the division.
Watch it now, later, or never?
I don’t get a kick out of ineffective awkwardness and that’s what Ebersole was bringing early. But Lytle’s early work was beautiful and Ebersole realizing that he had a shot to win and transitioning from “unorthodox” to tactical was interesting. An entertaining scrap worth watching for sure.