Jason Day.

BY JOE FERRARO
sportsnet.ca

Former UFC middleweights Jason (Dooms) Day and Jesse (JT Money) Taylor are set to square off in the main event of "Aggression MMA: Vengeance," scheduled for Friday, Feb. 5 at The Expo Centre in Edmonton.

While Taylor was fairly active in 2009, competing in eight MMA bouts, Day only fought twice, with the last bout in June, a victory with a twister submission over standout boxer Trevor Stewardson at Rumble in the Cage 35.

For the Lethbridge, Alta., native, making his return will be a welcome change to his life. "I'm excited to be back in action. It's been a long time coming."

Having caught up with and seen Day train while I was covering UFC 106 in Vegas in November, the middleweight looked extremely slick with his ground game, while also showcasing some excellent footwork to complement his striking; but when asked about Taylor, he believes the former TUF veteran is an excellent measuring stick for his own MMA skill set.

"I'll use Jesse Taylor as a gauge to see where I am at in my own training and what I need to work on and what I have already improved on," said Day.

"JT Money" was a cast member on season seven of The Ultimate Fighter and showcased an excellent ability to control his opponents and was projected to win the show. But his behaviour got the best of him, eventually getting himself removed from the Season Finale.

He eventually was allowed to make his Octagon debut at UFC Fight Night: Silva vs Irvin (aka UFN 14) and lost to fellow castmate C.B. Dollaway. He was subsequently cut by the organization, for what many believe was more than just the loss to Dollaway.

While he is an accomplished athlete who has proven he can bang with some of the best, Taylor is coming off two losses to some high-calibre opponents in Jay Hieron and Luke Rockhold.

But for "Dooms Day," these losses are irrelevant; when it comes to fighting Taylor, he is ready for anything, especially for the American's most obvious strength.

"He is an accomplished wrestler. But that's as far as it goes. I have been working hard on my wrestling and he is the perfect opponent to test my new skills on," said Day.

Day is not only confident that he is a better fighter that Taylor, it also appears as though he is offering Taylor the option to pick his own poison.

"I've got the edge, but I'll let him decide how he wants to lose: on the feet or on the ground," said Day.