Crowd favorite and Indy firefighter Lytle wins at UFC 119

INDIANAPOLIS -- Chris Lytle said all week that he wanted to put on a show for the fans in his hometown of Indianapolis. He delivered, winning a decision over Matt Serra at UFC 119, 30-27 on all three judges' cards.

With the crowd chanting "Lytle," the two started out at the fight at a furious pace, with both fighters throwing bombs to start the fight. Lytle appeared to win the early exchanges, and just grew stronger headed into the second.

Serra began to slow in the second round, which Lytle took advantage of. Lytle wobbled Serra on a few occasions, using his uppercut to do damage. This continued in the third round. With a beat-up face, Serra tried in vain for a takedown, but Lytle continued to hammer away.

The two good friends embraced after the bout. Lytle asked the crowd in Indianapolis to cheer on his friend, and Serra admitted that he didn't execute a good game plan.

"What was I doing boxing with a boxing champion? What the hell's wrong with me?" Serra said after the fight.

"He could’ve just tried to take me down, but that’s about as ballsy as you can get," Lytle said. "I had plenty of respect for Matt beforehand but now it’s just so much more.”