The Man Who Could Have Been Champ: A Jesse Taylor Return Possible?

A few years ago, Jesse Taylor became famous for reasons that he never wanted.

After storming through to the semifinals of The Ultimate Fighter Season 7, he was removed from the show by Dana White before the finale after a drunken escapade in Vegas after the show stopped filming.

This disqualification allowed CB Dollaway to fight his way back into the competition, only to fall to Amir Sadollah once again. But unlike many predicted, that was not the end of Jesse Taylor's run in the UFC.

In July of last year, Taylor and White had a conversation where Taylor admitted his addiction to alcohol and his struggle to get his life back together with his current enrollment in AA.

He reiterated to White how disappointed he was in himself and how saddened he was to have let his dream slip away. Apparently he was so convincing that White allowed him back into the UFC on the undercard of UFC Silva: v. Irvin on July 19th, 2008.

Although Taylor lost by Peruvian necktie to CB Dollaway and was dropped from the UFC again, it may have been the wake-up call that his fight career needed.

Since the loss, he has won seven straight fights in various competitions including DREAM and XFC. His record has improved to an impressive 13-3, while capturing middleweight titles with two separate companies.

But the big fights might be still to come. With Nick Diaz failing to show up for weigh-ins and drug tests prior to Saturday's Strikeforce: Carano v. Cyborg event, Jesse Taylor has been tabbed as his replacement, to take on Jay Hieron.

A win on the card could vault the 26-year-old Californian back into the national spotlight. With Dana's propensity to give former TUF contestants a shot to gain fame in the octagon, one has to wonder whether Taylor could be in line for another shot.

If guys like George Roop keep getting thrown in there, then why not?