UFC veteran Chris Lytle had a very disappointing outing at UFC 127. First his long-awaited crack at a top 10 opponent was cancelled when Carlos Condit dropped out of the fight due to injuries. Then Lytle lost a decision to unheralded journeyman and UFC debutante Brian Ebersole.

Now reports are coming out that Lytle underwent major surgery only four weeks before the fight, per MMA Fighting:

In fact, just four weeks before his fight, he had the injured meniscus in his right knee removed, MMA Fighting has learned.

Lytle chose to keep the procedure quiet to deflect attention and avoid devaluing Ebersole's win. But after MMA Fighting learned of the injury from two separate sources, Lytle's manager Ken Pavia finally confirmed the surgery, which he said began as an exploratory procedure before the doctor removed the meniscus due to the damage.

Lytle chose to fight, and the ensuing unanimous decision loss to Ebersole marked the end of a four-fight win streak. It could also possibly bring a close to his career.

Lytle's manager Ken Pavia told MMA Fighting that the 36 year old UFC veteran is considering retiring from the sport. Lytle has a 9-10 record in the UFC but has tied Anderson Silva's record for receiving eight Fight Night bonuses.