UFC 89 Breakdown: The Main Card

Paul Taylor vs. Chris Lytle
Taylor Scouting Report
Height/Weight: 6’0/170 lbs.
Age: 28
Hometown: Walsall, England
Fighting out of: Walsall, England
Record: 9-3-1

The stakes: One of the true finds of the UFC’s foreign expansion, Taylor’s exciting style and endless motor have made him into one of the welterweight division’s most exciting regulars. The tradeoff was two losses -- which nearly turned into three when Taylor scored a contentious split decision win over Jess Liaudin at UFC 85. Now slotted against one of the UFC’s toughest veterans, Taylor must rebuild his reputation as a welterweight on the rise.

The breakdown: A sharp, composed striker, Taylor often struggles on the mat and must goad Lytle into a kickboxing match to have a chance to win. Luckily for Taylor, one of Lytle’s biggest problems has been his tendency to fight his opponent’s fight. As long as Taylor can get Lytle to fall into that same trap, his powerful striking will be more than a match for the American.

Lytle Scouting Report
Height/Weight: 5’11/170 lbs.
Age: 34
Hometown: Indianapolis
Fighting out of: Indianapolis
Record: 25-16-5

The stakes: A veteran who made his promotional debut back at UFC 28 in 2000, Lytle has moved in and out of the organization despite consistently exciting performances. Those exciting scraps have also led to a rather disappointing 4-8 mark in the Octagon, a fact that has prevented him from gaining a foothold in the UFC. If Lytle’s ever going to secure his place in the increasingly competitive welterweight division, he has to prove he can serve as more than just filler.

The breakdown: A truly versatile fighter, Lytle has shown savvy on the feet -- thanks to his boxing experience -- and plenty of gusto on the mat in aggressively going for submissions. While Lytle’s wrestling remains decidedly mediocre, he does not have to worry about Taylor shooting for any double legs, and should things get hairy standing, scoring a takedown of his own is not out of the question. With that in mind, Lytle must make use of both his striking and submissions if he’s going to effectively tangle with Taylor, as a straightforward slugfest is a dicey proposition.


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The bottom line: This will be a crackling main card showdown, thanks in no small part to Lytle, once again, ditching his game plan and going for broke on the feet. That “strategy” will play right into Taylor’s hands; he handled Marcus Davis’ boxing-oriented style quite well in their UFC 75 bout. Expect more of the same here, except with a more favorable outcome for Taylor this time around.