Early Life
Jesse Taylor graduated from Poway High School in Poway, CA, where he was a wrestler. After high school Jesse attended San Francisco State university. He took Jiu-Jitsu classes but decided to stick to wrestling. When things did not work out in San Francisco he moved back down to San Diego, where he then attended Palomar Community College near San Diego. In junior college, Taylor became a two-time JC All-American, CCCAA State Runner-Up in 2003, and crowned California Junior College State Champion in 2004, only losing three matches. Taylor was then rewarded with a scholarship to Cal State Fullerton. After the birth of his son, it become harder for Taylor to concentrate on wrestling and school while adjusting to the family life. Taylor still managed to qualify for the Division 1 NCAA Tournament and was 3rd in the Pac-10's.
After realizing there was no money in wrestling after college(a sentiment echoed by many former collegiate wrestlers, including Matt Hughes, Randy Couture, and Bobby Lashley), Taylor tried to think of a way to still compete and make a living for him and his son. He then decided to give mixed martial arts a real try. An old wrestling friend of his invited him for a Team Quest workout, where Taylor was able to spar with fighters such as Dan Henderson, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, and Jason Miller. He picked up Jiu Jitsu quickly, and worked to improve his striking. After only about a month of training, Taylor took a fight against a much more established fighter and was victorious. A few years later Jesse got the chance to be on the seventh season of the hit reality television series The Ultimate Fighter.
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