Chris Lytle inks UFC contract extension, UFC 89 bout with Paul Taylor

by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Jul 16, 2008 at 5:00 am ET

"The Ultimate Fighter 4" runner-up and longtime UFC fighter Chris Lytle (25-16-5 MMA, 4-8 UFC) has signed a four-fight contract extension with the UFC and has also signed to fight Paul Taylor (9-3-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC) at UFC 89.

His manager, Ken Pavia, confirmed the deals with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) on Tuesday.

UFC 89 takes place Oct. 18 at The NIA in Birmingham, England.

"The UFC expressed satisfaction with his past performances, and they extended his deal by four fights," Pavia said. "Chris has a home in the UFC. He's comfortable fighting for the UFC. Both sides will benefit from the deal. We're very happy with it."

Lytle, a nine-year veteran who made his octagon debut in 2000, most recently suffered a unanimous-decision loss to Josh Koscheck earlier this month at UFC 86.

However, after a spirited loss to Thiago Alves in November, Lytle essentially promised to throw caution to the wind. He said calculated game plans made for boring fights, and his two bouts since then -- a February knockout victory over Kyle Bradley and the loss to Koscheck -- have shown streaks of that carefree attitude.

"He appreciate the types of match-ups [UFC officials] have given him," Pavia said. "Chris has re-devoted himself to being exciting, and the UFC has provided him opponents who let him do that. ... Chris' sole goal is to entertain fans."

His next opportunity will come against Taylor, a British fighter who's competed in four consecutive UFC U.K. events. After opening his UFC career with a TKO of Edilberto de Oliveira, Taylor suffered back-to-back losses to Marcus Davis and Paul Kelly.

Knowing the fight was a must-win, he then scored a split-decision victory over Jess Liaudin in June at UFC 85.

For the latest UFC 89 fight card, which features a main event of Chris Leben vs. Michael Bisping, check out the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.