Jesse Taylor (6-2) -- The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 7 finalist who was kicked off the mixed martial arts reality series this season for going on an alcohol-induced Las Vegas rampage -- will take on the man who replaced him the finals, CB Dollaway (6-1), at UFC Fight Night 14 at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 19.
According to UFC President Dana White -- who at one point declared that he was off the show and out of the UFC -- Taylor has learned from the experience and deserves one more shot.
Here's a snip from White on Taylor via Yahoo!Sports.com:
"I’ve faced a lot of challenges since we’ve had the UFC, but I have a kid (Taylor) who pissed his pants on television and now I have to turn him into a star.... Without a doubt, the kid deserves another chance. He made himself look like a fool, and he’s aware of that, but everyone deserves another opportunity and we’re going to give it to him. He acted like a moron. He’s embarrassed by it, which he should be, but what he did doesn’t amount to enough to ban him forever. Come on. He was just young and stupid, but at least he seems to have learned from what he did."
It appears the cooler heads have prevailed indeed.
Taylor now trains with the prestigious Team Quest out in California. He defeated Nick Rossborough, Mike Dolce, Dante Rivera and Tim Credeur to punch his ticket to the finals against Amir Sadollah. However, just days after the show wrapped Taylor and a few castmates celebrated in Sin City before packing their bags and heading home.
It was during this time that Taylor got into trouble, getting hammered and thrashing a Fertitta-owned casino and harassing its female guests.
When he was kicked off the show, Credeur and Dollaway were invited back to compete for the spot vacated by Taylor. Dollaway went on to win the fight, however, he lost to Sadollah at the TUF 7 Finale earlier this month via submission (armbar).
Both Taylor and Dollaway are strong wrestlers who prefer to implement the ground and pound. Therefore, the result of this fight will more than likely be determined by who can get to who first.
To check out the latest UFC Fight Night 14 card click here. It will air on Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET on July 19.
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