Kempo Chris
12-23-2003, 02:06 AM
Catching Up With... CHRIS LYTLE
Submitted by: Keith Mills
Posted On 12/23/2003
from www.adcombat.com
On January 2nd Chris Lytle takes on Pete Spratt in RSF Shooto in Belleville, IL.
KM: The last couple of months you have been emphasizing the standup but this is against Pete Spratt, one of the best strikers. Are you looking to stand with Spratt? CL: My gameplan is always go out there and see how it is going to go. I train a lot on standup and a lot on the ground. I’m always wanting to test myself to see how good my standup is. I think I know where it is at but when you get out there things change a little bit. I’ve always felt really comfortable on my feet lately. Right now I’m thinking I’m going to go in there and see how it goes on my feet. I’m not going to go out there and just say I’m going to go to the ground. I’m going to see how it is on my feet and if it’s going how I think it will and I like it I’ll stay on my feet, if not I’ll try to adjust.
KM: I was wondering if you would be so interested in testing yourself against such a striker that you wouldn’t go for what could be an easy win. CL: I feel I’m probably more used to being on the ground than he is so that is probably to my advantage. I’m sure I’m not going to get tunnel vision on ‘I’m a standup guy now’. I’ll take a win however I can get it. The win is the bottom line to me, not to go out there and prove I can stand up. I’m going to try to keep it open and do whatever. I’ll go there to get the victory and whatever I have to do to do that I’m going to do.
KM: Did you hear about Spratt’s last fight against George St. Pierre? CL: Yeah, I heard the guy choked him.
KM: He gave up his back twice to try to stand up. CL: You get a really technical ground guy, that is exactly what they want you to do.
KM: That is pretty much how I can see the fight going with you. CL: That is pretty much my gameplan as well. I’m going to take any opportunity I get to end the fight. On my feet if I get a good punch off that’s fine. If it is going to be on the ground with a submission that is fine too. It’s not going to hurt my ego to go to the ground.
KM: He beat Lawler by injury and then Lawler beat you by decision. A lot of people are going to look at you as the underdog. CL: I love it. I just want to keep fighting people that are like ‘ah, he doesn’t have a chance’. I have no problem with that. It keeps the pressure off me. Hopefully that is what Pete is thinking.
KM: It could be like when Pedro beat Barnett, Couture beat Pedro, and then Barnett beat Couture. CL: It’s all about matchups and styles.
KM: Like rock/paper/scissors? CL: Exactly.
KM: What does this fight mean to you? CL: He’s fought in UFC three times; I’ve fought there too. To me we are both pretty high up in the mix in that weight class. To me this means a lot not only for who gets right back in the UFC probably immediately after this but where our status is going to be. Obviously my ultimate goal is to fight for the championship and this is a major step towards it or a major step back from it. This fight means pretty much everything at this point I think.
KM: In the long term it’s like how many chances are you going to get to take on someone of Spratt’s caliber outside the UFC. CL: They kind of said we’d both be back in, it’s just the winner will probably immediately be back in. The loser is going to have to do a few more things.
KM: Are you looking beyond this fight in any way? CL: No, not at all. A lot of people when they are in this position, they try to take safe fights but I’m fighting a three-time UFC veteran and he’s fighting a two-time so we’re both saying ‘I’m going to lay it on the line right here’.
KM: There is a lot more video on Spratt. It must be a lot easier for you to scout him out than he you. Do you see that as ay kind of advantage? CL: Maybe. You can pick up some things from watching some tapes and see tendencies but at the same time I remember I was fighting in Japan a guy I’d seen a couple times on video and he was a southpaw. I came out and was planning on doing all these things and he came out there and fought right-handed. Kind of threw my whole gameplan off. It can be an advantage or disadvantage. I’ve watched some of his things and I know some of the things he is trying to do.
KM: Most fans are going to refer to your fight against Lawler. That was an amazing fight! It seemed more like a sparring match at times, the way you were clapping and stuff like that. CL: I didn’t intend to do that. It was kind of how the fight played out. Honestly I was expecting more of a straight-ahead us both going at each other.
KM: This fight is on January 2nd. Is training during the holiday season any different for you? CL: Only thing is it’s a little harder to get a good solid base of people coming in at all times because everybody is busy. Everybody I’ve been training with has been really good about being in here right now. Holiday isn’t going to affect me; I don’t go out and party or nothing too much anymore. New Years Eve or whatever, I don’t care.
KM: At least it’s not as bad as what Spratt had to endure. Spratt’s last one was right after Thanksgiving in the US. Here it is a food and family holiday and he had to make weight the next day two time zones away. CL: That is a rough thing. I’m pretty lucky right now I’m not losing too much weight, like eight pounds or so.
KM: But traveling for the family or whatever isn’t in any way interfering? CL: No. My family is pretty good about helping me out here. It is kid of hard; you can hear I got the kids in the background playing around here. I just feel bad it’s a little time from them I got to miss. I figure I got to do this now.
Submitted by: Keith Mills
Posted On 12/23/2003
from www.adcombat.com
On January 2nd Chris Lytle takes on Pete Spratt in RSF Shooto in Belleville, IL.
KM: The last couple of months you have been emphasizing the standup but this is against Pete Spratt, one of the best strikers. Are you looking to stand with Spratt? CL: My gameplan is always go out there and see how it is going to go. I train a lot on standup and a lot on the ground. I’m always wanting to test myself to see how good my standup is. I think I know where it is at but when you get out there things change a little bit. I’ve always felt really comfortable on my feet lately. Right now I’m thinking I’m going to go in there and see how it goes on my feet. I’m not going to go out there and just say I’m going to go to the ground. I’m going to see how it is on my feet and if it’s going how I think it will and I like it I’ll stay on my feet, if not I’ll try to adjust.
KM: I was wondering if you would be so interested in testing yourself against such a striker that you wouldn’t go for what could be an easy win. CL: I feel I’m probably more used to being on the ground than he is so that is probably to my advantage. I’m sure I’m not going to get tunnel vision on ‘I’m a standup guy now’. I’ll take a win however I can get it. The win is the bottom line to me, not to go out there and prove I can stand up. I’m going to try to keep it open and do whatever. I’ll go there to get the victory and whatever I have to do to do that I’m going to do.
KM: Did you hear about Spratt’s last fight against George St. Pierre? CL: Yeah, I heard the guy choked him.
KM: He gave up his back twice to try to stand up. CL: You get a really technical ground guy, that is exactly what they want you to do.
KM: That is pretty much how I can see the fight going with you. CL: That is pretty much my gameplan as well. I’m going to take any opportunity I get to end the fight. On my feet if I get a good punch off that’s fine. If it is going to be on the ground with a submission that is fine too. It’s not going to hurt my ego to go to the ground.
KM: He beat Lawler by injury and then Lawler beat you by decision. A lot of people are going to look at you as the underdog. CL: I love it. I just want to keep fighting people that are like ‘ah, he doesn’t have a chance’. I have no problem with that. It keeps the pressure off me. Hopefully that is what Pete is thinking.
KM: It could be like when Pedro beat Barnett, Couture beat Pedro, and then Barnett beat Couture. CL: It’s all about matchups and styles.
KM: Like rock/paper/scissors? CL: Exactly.
KM: What does this fight mean to you? CL: He’s fought in UFC three times; I’ve fought there too. To me we are both pretty high up in the mix in that weight class. To me this means a lot not only for who gets right back in the UFC probably immediately after this but where our status is going to be. Obviously my ultimate goal is to fight for the championship and this is a major step towards it or a major step back from it. This fight means pretty much everything at this point I think.
KM: In the long term it’s like how many chances are you going to get to take on someone of Spratt’s caliber outside the UFC. CL: They kind of said we’d both be back in, it’s just the winner will probably immediately be back in. The loser is going to have to do a few more things.
KM: Are you looking beyond this fight in any way? CL: No, not at all. A lot of people when they are in this position, they try to take safe fights but I’m fighting a three-time UFC veteran and he’s fighting a two-time so we’re both saying ‘I’m going to lay it on the line right here’.
KM: There is a lot more video on Spratt. It must be a lot easier for you to scout him out than he you. Do you see that as ay kind of advantage? CL: Maybe. You can pick up some things from watching some tapes and see tendencies but at the same time I remember I was fighting in Japan a guy I’d seen a couple times on video and he was a southpaw. I came out and was planning on doing all these things and he came out there and fought right-handed. Kind of threw my whole gameplan off. It can be an advantage or disadvantage. I’ve watched some of his things and I know some of the things he is trying to do.
KM: Most fans are going to refer to your fight against Lawler. That was an amazing fight! It seemed more like a sparring match at times, the way you were clapping and stuff like that. CL: I didn’t intend to do that. It was kind of how the fight played out. Honestly I was expecting more of a straight-ahead us both going at each other.
KM: This fight is on January 2nd. Is training during the holiday season any different for you? CL: Only thing is it’s a little harder to get a good solid base of people coming in at all times because everybody is busy. Everybody I’ve been training with has been really good about being in here right now. Holiday isn’t going to affect me; I don’t go out and party or nothing too much anymore. New Years Eve or whatever, I don’t care.
KM: At least it’s not as bad as what Spratt had to endure. Spratt’s last one was right after Thanksgiving in the US. Here it is a food and family holiday and he had to make weight the next day two time zones away. CL: That is a rough thing. I’m pretty lucky right now I’m not losing too much weight, like eight pounds or so.
KM: But traveling for the family or whatever isn’t in any way interfering? CL: No. My family is pretty good about helping me out here. It is kid of hard; you can hear I got the kids in the background playing around here. I just feel bad it’s a little time from them I got to miss. I figure I got to do this now.