Denis Kang vs. Jesse Taylor

Former top 10 middleweight Denis Kang(33-12-2) will face former TUF 7 finalist Jesse Taylor(17-6) on the independent scene April 7th.

Denis Kang, ranked 33rd at middleweight, has seen his fair share of ups and downs over the last few years. Kang is coming off a close draw with Paulo Filho and should find himself signing with Strikeforce or Dream if he can string together some victories, which is why this fight with Taylor is so crucial at this juncture in his career.

Jesse Taylor(ranked 49th) may always be remembered for his recklessness on The Ultimate Fighter, but he has established himself as a solid fighter on the independent scene. Taylor still struggles with inconsistency, as he was completely outclassed by Thales Leites and Luke Rockhold on the ground.

Two fighters known for making huge mistakes in big fights, will lock horns and it will likely come down to who does leave a limb out there to grab. Kang has the advantage standing, but he will likely be unable to avoid Taylor’s takedowns, so it will be up to Kang to work from his back. As we saw with his fight against Michael Bisping, Kang could struggle there, but Taylor does not have the finishing skills or submission defense that Bisping possessed.