MMA News and Fight Videos

With a UFC pink slip in hand, TUF cast member Jesse Taylor (7-3) proved he can do something right by defeating Drew Fickett (35-7) by first round TKO at Total Combat 32 on Thursday night.

Taylor was kicked out of The Ultimate Fighters 7 finale for going on a drunken rampage in a Las Vegas, casino.

Taylor was brought back to face TUF 7 runner up CB Dollaway, but losed the fight by submission (Peruvian Neck Tie). He then made some questionable comments about Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s hit and run incident and how the UFC treats fighters differently based on their star power. Shortly after the comments were made Taylor was let go by the UFC.

Being one of the best fighters on the TUF 7 show and this upset win over Drew Fickett, Taylor has turned things around and finally given himself some bargaining chips to sign with a bigger promotion.

addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cagetoday.com%2Fjesse-taylor-pounds-out-drew-fickett-at-total-combat-32%2F'; addthis_title = 'Jesse+Taylor+Pounds+Out+Drew+Fickett+At+Total+Combat+32'; addthis_pub = 'modobemedia';

The post The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 7 career of Jesse Taylor is off to a good start — “JT Money” scored a first round technical knockout of mixed martial arts veteran Drew Ficket in the main event of the Total Combat 32: “Notorious”show at the Sycuan Casino & Resort, which is just outside of San Diego, Calif., last night.

Here’s how it all went down courtesy of an official press release:

“From the start, Taylor had Fickett on his heels which would lead to a quick take down.  Once on the ground, Taylor landed heavy shots to Fickett’s head, one of which opened a two-inch gash on his forehead just above his right eye.

Taylor would continue to land shots while Fickett tried to block the assault.  The referee stopped the barrage at the 1:42 mark of the first round awarding Taylor the victory via TKO.”

This was the first fight for Taylor at welterweight, as well as his first fight for him outside the UFC after being booted off TUF and then invited back to face CB Dolloway at UFC Fight Night 14 back in July.

He lost that fight via first round submission and then made things worse with some curious comments on the Quinton “Rampage” Jackson legal situation, which eventually led to his ouster.

Fickett was certainly a big step up in competition for Taylor even though “The Master” may or may not have been in the best shape for this fight. Even still, it was just his second loss in his last eight fights.

It should be interesting to see where both fighters end up after a quick and decisive result like this … stay tuned.

addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fmmamania.com%2F2008%2F10%2F03%2Fjesse-taylor-defeats-drew-fickett-in-first-round-at-total-combat%2F'; addthis_title = 'Jesse+Taylor+defeats+Drew+Fickett+in+first+round+at+Total+Combat'; addthis_pub = 'brok3llc';

Props: CombatLifestyle.com

(For more on the actual welterweight fight tomorrow night click here.)

addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fmmamania.com%2F2008%2F10%2F01%2Fdrew-fickett-and-jesse-taylor-weigh-in-for-total-combat-fight%2F'; addthis_title = 'Drew+Fickett+and+Jesse+Taylor+weigh-in+for+Total+Combat+fight'; addthis_pub = 'brok3llc';

The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 7 castoff Jesse Taylor (6-3) — who was cut from the UFC for the second time in July following a loss to fellow housemate CB Dolloway as well as some questionable comments about the Rampage Jackson situation — didn’t have much trouble finding work outside the Octagon.

“Cocoa the Monkey” will compete in the main event at Total Combat 32: “Notorious” at the Sycuan Casino & Resort, which is just outside of San Diego, Calif., on October 2. The former middleweight will make the move down to 170 pounds to face Drew “The Master” Fickett (35-6).

Fickett is a huge step up in competition for Taylor. In fact, he hasn’t faced anybody with even half the experience of “The Master.” To make matters worse, the experience isn’t even the only thing that makes this match up look one-sided.

All three of Taylor’s career losses have been by submissions, which is Fickett’s strongest attribute as a fighter. In fact, he’s won by way of tapout 24 times in his career. Therfore, if Taylor had trouble with Dolloway’s submissions then one can imagine what kind of problems a technician the caliber of Fickett poses for him.

Regardless, Taylor is going to be a beast at welterweight. And it’ll be interesting to see just how much of a strength advantage he’ll have at 170 pounds. He was known for his wrestling and control while on the show and he’ll need to be at the top of his game in those areas to have any chance at all against “The Master.”

Kim Couture — wife of UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture — will also be in action at Total Combat 32 “Notorious,” facing Team Quest product Megan Gangitano.

Total Combat also just announced a partnership with MTV 3, which will be the new home for the mixed martial arts organization.

addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fmmamania.com%2F2008%2F09%2F22%2Fjesse-taylor-vs-drew-fickett-total-combat-fight-booked-october-2%2F'; addthis_title = 'Jesse+Taylor+vs+Drew+Fickett+Total+Combat+fight+booked+October+2'; addthis_pub = 'brok3llc';

Following his July release from the UFC, former TUF 7 middleweight contestant Jesse Taylor will be returning to action on Oct. 2 during Total Combat 32 at the Syucan Casino just outside of San Diego. Taylor’s opponent will be another former UFC veteran, Drew Fickett. Taylor lost a chance to compete against Amir Sadollah in the finals [...]

MMA Junkie was able to catch up with Jesse Taylor after his release from the UFC today and get some comments from him in regards to the release: “It’s definitely frustrating,” Taylor today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) about the release. “I was upset, of course. But I’m going to keep on fighting. It could be a blessing [...]

The Ultimate Fighter Season 7 veteran Jesse Taylor (6-3) has apparently been released by the UFC again, according to the Print Edition of The Wrestling Observer.

After earning a spot in the finals of The Ultimate Fighter 7, Taylor was replaced with runner-up CB Dollaway after going on a drunken pillage of a Las Vegas Hotel following the taping of the show.

Taylor was given a “Second Chance” at UFC Fight Night 14, but lossed the fight in the first round by submission to TUF 7 runner-up CB Dollaway.

Taylor was again involved in controversy when he spoke out about the Quinton “Rampage” Jackson arrest, saying:

“what goes around comes around, I guess.”

“Oh yeah, it’s a big double standard,”

“I’m sure if I were the ex-middleweight champion, I could get away with stuff. I’m sure if I would have done, I’d be banned.”

addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cagetoday.com%2Fjesse-taylor-given-the-boot-from-the-ufc-again%2F'; addthis_title = 'Jesse+Taylor+Given+The+Boot+From+The+UFC+Again'; addthis_pub = 'modobemedia';

A report in the July 29 print edition of the Wrestling Observer has confirmed rumblings that middleweight Jesse Taylor was dropped by the UFC for the second time in the span of four months following his loss at UFC Fight Night 14 to C.B. Dollaway. A member of Team Quest in Temecula, Taylor’s overall MMA record [...]

These numbers don’t include the fight night bonuses,

The Winners

Anderson Silva: $200,000 (200k to show)
Brandon Vera: $200,000 (100k to win, 100k to show)
Frankie Edgar: $26,000 (13k to win, 13k to show)
Cain Velasquez: $14,000 (7k to win, 7k to show)
Kevin Burns: $10,000 (5k to win, 5k to show)
CB Dollaway: $20,000 (10k to win, 10k to show)
Tim Credeur: $16,000 (8k to win, 8k to show)
Rory Markham: $12,000 (6k to win, 6k to show)
Nate Loughran: $8,000 (4k to win, 4k to show)
Brad Blackburn: $10,000 (5k to win, 5k to show)
Shannon Gugerty: $6,000 (3k to win, 3k to show)

The Losers

James Irvin: $20,000
Reese Andy $15,000
Hermes Franca : $17,000
Jake O’Brien: $11,000
Anthony Johnson: $9,000
Jesse Taylor: $8,000
Cale Yarbrough: $8,000
Brodie Farber: $3,00O
Johnny Rees: $4,000
James Gaboo: $3,000
Dale Hartt: $3,000

Total Payout: $623,000

TUF 14 Fight Bonuses

Frankie Edgar ($25,000 for “Fight of the Night”)
Hermes Franca ($25,000 for “Fight of the Night”)
Rory Markham ($25,000 for “Submission of the Night”)
C.B. Dollaway ($25,000 for “Knockout of the Night”)

All reported payouts don’t include deductions for insurance, licenses, gym dues, management commissions, and taxes. They also don’t reflect fighter sponsorships, signing bonuses and sometimes PPV percentages.

addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cagetoday.com%2Fufc-fight-night-14-payouts-and-bonuses%2F'; addthis_title = 'UFC+Fight+Night+14+Payouts+and+Bonuses'; addthis_pub = 'modobemedia';

Jesse Taylor — the first-ever finalist from The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) to be kicked out of the house before the Finale — is perhaps in jeopardy of losing his job with the UFC once again, according to Steve Cofield.

“Mr. Sunshine” has the scoop, saying the Taylor has irked management with some disparaging remarks directed toward former light heavyweight champion Rampage Jackson in the wake of his recent troubles.

Taylor had this to say last Thursday on the situation:

“What goes around, comes around, I guess.”

He apparently made that remark after he caught wind that Jackson had told UFC President Dana White that the company doesn’t need a guy like Taylor representing it. That’s because Taylor was booted from the 16-main tournament-style competition after he went on a drunken rampage (no pun intended) in a Fertitta-owned casino after the show wrapped.

Taylor then approached White at the Finale last month and pleaded his case, saying he had cleaned up his act and was ready for a second chance. White was convinced and offered him an opportunity to return against CB Dollaway at UFC Fight Night 14 this past weekend.

He lost via first round submission.

According to the report, Taylor has since backpedaled on his Rampage remarks and “feels bad about what he said.” However, it may be too little too late.

Here’s a snip from Cofield:

“Taylor clearly felt badly about what he said on Thursday especially considering that he’d just found out that Jackson was hospitalized for mental evaluation. From the tone of the UFC official who spoke with Yahoo! Sports at the event, the apology may not matter. The lesson here may be to make sure you choose your targets carefully. Jackson is tight with UFC higher-ups and is the last guy any fighters on the roster should be cracking on right now.”

It doesn’t seem good for Taylor if this report is indeed accurate. Stay tuned for more details.