Chris Lytle Joining FOX Sports Broadcast Team For UFC Fight Night 45

When retired fighter and FOX Sports analyst Chael Sonnen was forced out of his broadcast position after failing two drug tests for a myriad of banned substances, the network was left to look for a suitable replacement for Sonnen’s valuable in-cage knowledge.

Today, it appears that they’ve found that replacement, as longtime Octagon vet Chris “Lights Out” Lytle will join the FOX Sports team for next Wednesday’s (July 16, 2014) UFC Fight Night 45: Cerrone vs. Miller event from Atlantic City, New Jersey. Lytle’s hiring was made official in a press release:

The Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) is bringing the Octagon® back to Atlantic City for a clash of top-10 ranked lightweights at UFC FIGHT NIGHT: CERRONE vs. MILLER live on FOX Sports 1 on Wednesday, July 16 (9:00 PM ET), headlined by No. 6-ranked Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone against No. 7-ranked and New Jersey’s own Jim Miller.

UFC on FOX analysts Kenny Florian, Daniel Cormier and host Karyn Bryant welcome former UFC welterweight contender Chris Lytle to the analyst desk as he makes his debut at the UFC FIGHT NIGHT WEIGH-IN on Tuesday, July 15 and works the PREFIGHT and POSTFIGHT coverage on FOX Sports 1 as well. Jon Anik and Brian Stann call the fights on FOX Sports 1 live from the Revel Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, while Victor Dávila and Fabricio Werdum call the action for FOX Deportes.

Lytle is a 19-fight veteran of the UFC dating back to 2003. He’s fought some of the best welterweights in the sport, including Matt Hughes, Robbie Lawler, Matt Serra, and Josh Koscheck. He also owns two wins over currently surging No. 5-ranked Matt Brown.

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The first fighter to win all three of the UFC’s post-fight bonuses (out of his nine total), the exciting “Lights Out” will bring experience that few can match to the FOX broadcast team, something they were in dire need of.

It was not stated if Lytle’s appearance on the team is temporary or permanent.