UFC
UFC ON VERSUS 5 RESULTS: Chris Lytle submits Dan Hardy in the third round, retires on a high note
Aug 15, 2011 - 8:00:35 AM UFC ON VERSUS 5 RESULTS: Chris Lytle submits Dan Hardy in the third round, retires on a high note

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Chris Lytle finished off his MMA career in perhaps the perfect manner on Sunday night at UFC on Versus 5, submitting Dan Hardy in the final minute of their main event fight in Milwaukee.

The fight played out as advertised, with both fighters standing and trading strikes throughout the entirety of the bout, but it was Lytle getting the best of the exchanges throughout the fight. In the first round, he pressed the action, continuously pressuring Hardy and connecting on combinations to the head and the body while absorbing the few blows thrown at him in the round.

He continued pressuring in the second, but Hardy had a little more success, staggering him with a couple of strikes in the round but still not doing enough to take it from Lytle.

As the third round played out a lot like the first two, Hardy went for an ill-advised takedown attempt with under a minute left, and Lytle locked on a guillotine choke. He rolled Hardy over and tightened the hold, and forced the tap at 4:16 of the final frame.

The win was the last in his career, as he revealed on Saturday night that he would retire after the fight to be around more for his children, and his son and daughter joined him in the cage as Bruce Buffer announced the decision. It was a feel good ending to the show, and Lytle couldn't have asked for a better send off.

As for Hardy, his fourth straight loss definitely had him at risk to being out of the UFC, but UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta put those fears to bed in quick fashion, taking to Twitter saying Hardy would not be cut after putting on an exciting main event fight.

Penick's Analysis: You can't help but just feel extremely happy for Lytle here, and it really couldn't have played out better for him tonight. He did exactly what he said he would do and gave Hardy the slug fest he wanted, and then he beat him at his own game. He brought his UFC career record to 10-10, and though he was only a .500 fighter in the UFC he always brought a top notch effort and was always willing to go out on his shield. I hope the best for him and his family as he turns his attention to a possible political career, and I'll honestly miss seeing him fight in the Octagon. That said, I'm very glad to see him go out on his own terms and in a fashion like this, rather than having been forced into retirement by repeated abuse and a lack of success.