Lytle vs. Brown
One of the main card bouts in Saturday’s UFC 116 card is a welterweight clash between Chris Lytle and Matt Brown.
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Lytle enters the fight as the favorite with a betting line of -195 with Brown given a line of +160 according to online sports book Sportsbook.com. Here is a closer look at both fighters heading into this main card bout, which will take place from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, beginning at 10PM ET live on pay-per-view.
Chris Lytle (28-17-5):
Strengths: A good scrapper, Lytle was an amateur boxer prior to making the commitment to MMA and throughout his career, he has improved on his ground game. Perhaps Lytle’s biggest strength is his heart and toughness, as he has been finished just two times in his career, and both were due to cuts. He has never been submitted or knocked out.
Weaknesses: While Lytle is a scrapper and often wins Fight of the Night honors for his entertaining bouts, he is far from a polished athlete. He is good in most areas but not great in any and can be easily beaten by a superior grappler or striker. In this fight, Lytle should be in a position to win, but if Brown shows dominance in one area or another, it could be a long night for Lytle.
Last Five Fights:
First round submission win over Brian Foster at UFC 110 on Feb. 20 2010
Unanimous decision win over Kevin Burns at Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale on June 20, 2009
Split decision loss to Marcus Davis at UFC 93 on Jan. 17, 2009
Unanimous decision win over Paul Taylor at UFC 89 on Oct. 18, 2008
Unanimous decision loss to Josh Koscheck at UFC 86 on July 5, 2008
Matt Brown (11-8):
Strengths: Like Lytle, Brown is just a tough scrapper. He is strong, he can take a punch, and he always approaches forward during a fight. Brown can take a punch, as he has never been knocked out in his professional career, and he hits hard, as he holds KO wins over fighters like Pete Sell and James Wilks.
Weaknesses: Brown clearly struggles with submission fighters as he has been submitted six times in his career, including his last fight against Ricardo Almeida. Prior to that, Brown had a solid streak building. In this fight, Lytle is not a submission specialist, but he knows a thing or too. Brown will have to stay off his back and show he can transition out of a submission hold.
Last Five Fights:
Second round submission loss to Ricard Almeida at UFC 111 on March 27, 2010
Third round TKO win over James Wilks at UFC 105 on Nov. 14, 2009
First round TKO win over Pete Sell at UFC 96 on March 7, 2009
Second round submission win over Ryan Thomas at UFC 91 on Nov. 15, 2008
Split decision loss to Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 88 on Sept. 6, 2008
Who will win: Lytle won a 2007 meeting between the two by submission, but both are different fighters now. Still, Brown doesn’t have the experience Lytle does and once Lytle senses trouble on the feet, he should be able to get Brown to the ground and control the fight. Look for these two to put on a show, but for Lytle to win by decision.
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Posted: 7/3/10 12:00PM ET