Chris Lytle To Run For Office In Indiana?

Chris Lytle has long been a fan-favorite in the UFC and is definitely one of the more exciting fighters the promotion has. But he’s been struggling recently and has apparently set his sights on other ventures. Lytle claims he is thinking about running for state office in 2012 in his native Indiana.

Lytle had this to say about the potential for a political career:

“I’m thinking about running because I feel we need new faces in there with the right intentions. My main concern is helping make Indiana a good economic environment for us and our children. I want to see if a normal blue-collar worker can make a difference.”

As we mentioned, Lytle has a huge following thanks largely to his exciting style. he has won eight UFC performance bonuses, including five for fight of the night. Those eight bonuses tie him with Anderson Silva for the most in UFC history.

Lytle (30-18-5) is coming off a loss to Brian Ebersole at UFC 127, and despite a four-fight win streak before that, he hasn’t been in the welterweight title discussion for some time. He is scheduled to fight Dan Hardy on August 14 in what could be the final fight in the UFC for either fighter. Hardy is on a three-fight losing streak and a loss against Lytle could be it for him. Due to his popularity, Lytle could probably survive a loss, but it would just push him even further into obscurity. On top of that, he’ll turn 37 just a few days after fighting Hardy.

Lytle has never just been about fighting. He is a full-time firefighter in Indianapolis, is a father of four and has a degree in sports management from Indiana University. So it’s not like his life hinges on what happens in the octagon.

“Lights Out” has formed an exploratory committee for an Indiana State House bid, and will run as a republican for either State Senate in District 28 or State House in District 53.