It was damn near a perfect night.

While there are other words and phrases Chris Lytle used to describe his final appearance inside the Octagon back in 2011, a sense of content is present all the way through. On that night in Milwaukee, fellow brawler Dan Hardy stood across the cage, and in the final seconds before the opening bell the well-traveled veteran slowed his pace and took in everything he could about the moment.

Less than 15 minute later it would all be over. After an intense back-and-forth shootout, the brash-Brit would succumb to a guillotine choke, and a career that spanned 12 years and 54 fights suddenly had the perfect stamp.

To further sweeten things, Lytle was awarded a double performance bonus for his efforts at UFC on Versus 5. And with that turn, a man who spent more than a decade electrifying fight fans received a going away present that served as sentiment and validation alike.

Even five years later Lytle's decision to walk away from MMA bears zero signs of regret.

"Fighting and that form of competition is just in my blood," Lytle said. "The desire to find out what I'm made of and do so in a high stakes environment always got me charged up. That was the case even up until my final fight against Dan, but I knew the motivation to put my body and family through training camps was wearing thin.

"Back when I started it wasn't even called MMA. It was called 'shoot' fighting and there weren't a ton of rules nor were there many commissions to enforce them if they were in place. It was crazy and my fighting style fit perfectly, so to go from where I started to walking away in front of all those fans in Milwaukee was pretty cool."



The history of the fight game is littered with the wreckage of those who couldn't navigate the ever-shifting tides. There are those who achieved greatness, but couldn't resist the lure of one more chance to stand in the spotlight, and a far larger number of those who never pushed through into the red before things broke up and their bodies failed.

Lytle is one of the few who read the signs clearly.

"Fighting is a sport where very few people leave the game before it leaves them," Lytle said. "I wasn't going to be one of those guys. I didn't crave recognition or attention the way some fighters do, and I think that's due in large part to always having something else in my life. I could be this awesome fighter on Saturday night, and cleaning toilets at the firestation on Monday morning.

"Nothing like janitorial work to keep a man humble," he laughed.

While Lytle's days throwing hands may have come to an end, the competitor inside of him has never truly subsided. The 41-year-old is a pioneer and resilient staple of the fighting scene in his native Indianapolis, which means he's constantly in the gym helping his friends and teammates prepare for upcoming bouts.

That work has allowed Lytle to hover on the horizon and remain sharp in case something appealing came to call. When a message from Chael Sonnen asking him to face renown grappler Jake Shields in his upstart promotion "Submission Underground" came through, it was a request that certainly fit his personal requirements.

"I wouldn't say I was itching for something to come along, but I always kept the door opening if the right thing came my way. Jake Shields is a guy I've known about for a very long time and is one of the absolute best at what he does. When I heard Chael was having trouble finding someone to face him it was kind of baffling because why wouldn't you want to test yourself against a guy like that?

"It's been awhile since I've competed but even I could pass up that opportunity. I think it's going to be a lot of fun, but I've always been wired a bit differently."



As Lytle prepares to face Shields on July 17 in Portland, Ore., fight fans have to be curious as to whether or not the right type of matchup could get him to step in and sling leather for one final go. Although Lytle is adamant in his refusal to endure a full training camp ever again, there are a few names out there that could light the proverbial fire.

While Lytle said Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz are both guys he respects and believes fights with them would make for "a fun Saturday night," there is one potential opponent in a different category.

Over the past few weeks Lytle has shifted from wondering how things would go down to being on the verge of actually pursuing a bout with a certain MMA legend.

"I really am starting to think I want to fight Wanderlei Silva," Lytle said. "I've always admired his style and would love nothing more than to go out there and get after it with him. He recently said he was down for it and would knock me out, but that's what everyone I ever fought said they would do. Funny that no one ever accomplished it, and Wanderlei is more than welcome to try."