FACEBOOK TWITTER RSS APP PODCAST Opinion & Analysis : Staff Columnists BENT: Previewing The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale - Chris Lytle vs. Kevin Burns

Jun 17, 2009 - 4:32:32 PM
By: Jason Bent, MMATorch Columnist
What this card needs is a good slugfest, and Lytle and Burns should prove capable of bringing just that to 'The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale' on Saturday night. Both men are similar in many respects, and both are coming off a loss in their most recent fight. Lytle is a journeyman, but this term does not diminish his abilities nor does it take away from his toughness. He wins the fights he should and gives his opponents fits in bouts he should lose, but the one thing he always does is bring a fight, and he is never too hard to find. Burns has not been tested too terribly often in his relatively young career, and will only be making his fourth appearance inside of the Octagon. He will be sufficiently tested by Chris Lytle, and will be trying to prove he belongs while his opponent is looking to prove that he should stay in what is not exactly a top tier match but should be fun to watch.

Chris Lytle is a throwback to the previous generation of mixed martial artist, who not only held down a full time job but also trained full time. Lytle is a full time firefighter by day and trains out of the Integrated Fighting Academy by night. Lytle's nickname is "Lights Out," and this is something he lives up to based upon his striking ability and the power he possesses. Lytle's best ability is his boxing and he can even lay claim to being the Indiana state boxing champion at 175 lbs. having won this in 2004. In MMA he has been a champion in the Hook N' Shoot, Absolute Fighting Championship and Cage Rage promotions.

He also has ties to 'The Ultimate Fighter,' as he was a competitor on season four of the program which was the "comeback" season, and he made it all the way to the finals but fell short in losing a split decision to Matt Serra. Lytle has gone 4-4 since then with a 3-4 record in the UFC, and has never again come as close to earning a title shot then he did by meeting Serra for the right in the 'TUF' finale. He has however won "Knockout of the Night" honors, "Submission of the Night" honors to go along with "Fight of the Night" on three occasions. Lytle doesn't win every time, and he is likely to never win a title or even receive a title shot, but he is not someone to overlook; and if Kevin Burns has any designs on ever fitting into the title picture it will first mean that he gets past the cagey veteran.

Kevin Burns holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, but also holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management and just one year ago was a leasing manager for Wells Fargo with dreams of being a fulltime fighter. Burns got the call from Joe Silva on Memorial Day of last year and was told to get out his passport because he was heading to London for UFC 85 where he would be taking on Roan Carneiro. He would not only win this bout but also take home "Submission of the Night" honors for his handiwork, and as such was able to give his boss two weeks notice and send notice to the UFC welterweights that the unassuming kid from Iowa was for real.

A submission over the black belt in Carneiro was enough to prove Burns could be for real, but it was of course the fifty grand he pocketed for the "Submission of the Night" which afforded him the chance to take it to the next level and focus all of his efforts on fighting. Burns is a decent grappler with fairly solid striking skills and some abilities when it comes to submissions as well. He just has not fully mastered any one of the disciplines in the sport, but has become proficient at all of them in some respect, which is how the younger generation is vastly superior to the old guard, of which Lytle is a member. A fighter like Burns could have potentially been a star in years past, but today runs the risk of falling out of favor should he suffer his second defeat in a row on Saturday. Fighters have more time to focus on their craft and more opportunities than before, but never has the sport been as competitive, and as such each fighter is always one win or one loss away from being either in or out of the UFC. Burns has no desire to see if Wells Fargo has anything open, and with a win over Lytle will be making a big investment in what he hopes will become a championship portolio.

Chris Lytle's career record stands at 26 wins against 17 losses with 4 of those wins coming by way of KO and 18 by submission. Notable fighters Lytle holds victories over include the likes of Aaron Riley, Pete Spratt, Tiki Ghosn, Matt Brown and Kyle Bradley. Notable fighters who can list a victory over Lytle as one of their achievements include Shonie Carter, Nick Diaz, Robbie Lawler, Matt Serra, Matt Hughes, Thiago Alves and Josh Koscheck. Needless to say, the best in the division can boast a victory over Lytle, but each of those men earned it the hard way. Lytle is the very definition of game opponent, in that each of the aforementioned fighters was predicted to win with ease but each of them had many cuts, bumps and bruises to tend to before they could celebrate such a victory. Lytle is 2-3 over his last five bouts, and while he should be able to find a spot on UFC cards in the future, nearly 50 fights in his career and an upcoming 35th birthday suggest that he needs to win this one in order to prove he really should continue competing.

Kevin Burns' career record stands at a comparatively miniscule 7 wins against 2 losses with 3 of those wins coming by way of KO and 4 by way of submission. The only fighters of note Burns has bested have been the Roan Carneiro and Anthony Johnson. Those to have beaten him are Jason High and the aforementioned Johnson.

In fact it was his two bout series with Johnson which served to really put him on the map as he scored a TKO victory over Johnson in their first meeting at 'UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Irvin,' and this was significant because he repeatedly poked his opponent in the eye and was awarded victory for doing the same when "Rumble" fell to the ground following one more of the inadvertent infractions. To Burns' credit, he asked for a rematch with Johnson, and one took place at 'The Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale' whereupon he would suffer a KO loss due to a crushing head kick from Johnson. He looks to erase this memory and make a new and victorious one as he returns to a 'TUF' finale to take on the ever dangerous Chris Lytle.

Bent's Prediction: Chris Lytle by way of Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in the 2nd Round

Lytle has fought many, many more times than Burns, and against much, much tougher opposition, but this will not be a complete walk in the park for the veteran. Burns has a decent striking game and has hands which should be quick enough to combat the striking skills of Lytle and take this beyond the opening round. This, however, will not be his night; and while this doesn't really prove anything for Chris Lytle it will simply serve as proof that Burns' victory over Johnson was the benefit of a gift call and that he needs a considerable amount of seasoning before he makes it to the next level. Lytle will serve as his biggest test to date, and the college graduate is going to need some post graduate work before he passes.

[Editor's note: An earlier version of this article mistakenly stated Lytle had no camp affiliation, but Lytle in fact trains with the Integrated Fighting Academy.]

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