Jesse Taylor Chosen for “The Ultimate Fighter 7?

Californian middleweight Jesse Taylor (6-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has been chosen as a cast member for “The Ultimate Fighter 7.”

MMANews.com was the first to report the news, and a source close to the fighter recently confirmed the selection for MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

“The Ultimate Fighter 7,” which debuts April 2 on Spike TV, features UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson and season-one winner Forrest Griffin as coaches. Unlike past seasons, the show will feature 32 — not 16 — middleweight fighters vying for a UFC contract. As MMAjunkie.com exclusively reported, every potential cast member will have to fight as soon as the show begins. The 16 winners earn a spot in the house, and the 16 losers are sent packing for home.

Taylor, 25, was a wrestling standout and two-time Junior College All-American at Palomar College before transferring and finishing his collegiate career at California State University-Fullerton.

Taylor then joined Team Quest and devoted himself to MMA, and has posted a 6-2 career mark since turning pro in August 2006. His only career losses have been to WEC veteran Kenny Ento (9-3) and “The Ultimate Fighter 3? cast member Jesse Forbes (5-2).

Taylor’s biggest victory came at a June 2007 Total Combat show, where he scored a second-round TKO of Jorge Ortiz (13-4). The only other fighters to defeat the highly touted Ortiz are Jon Fitch, Joey Villasenor and Eugene Jackson.

With Taylor, the latest rumored cast includes:

1. Paul Bradley (5-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
2. Matt Brown (7-6 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
3. Steve Byrnes (6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
4. Timothy Credeur (9-2 MMA, 0-0UFC)
5. C.B. Dollaway (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
6. Mike Marrello (6-1-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
7. Prince Mclean (4-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
8. Jeremiah Riggs (1-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
9. David Roberts (5-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
10. Amir Sadollah (0-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
11. Brandon Sene (2-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
12. Dan Simmler (0-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
13. Jesse Taylor (6-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
14. Luke Zachrich (7-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC)

For the latest news about “The Ultimate Fighter 7,” check out the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.