Quick Facts
Biography
John Salter (born March 21, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist, who has fought in the middleweight division for the UFC, Strikeforce and now he is currently ranked #2 for Bellator MMA.
He began his career training out of Birmingham, AL before making the move to Nashville, TN to train with NMMA in 2010. After two years in Nashville and marying his wife, Lindsey Cate Salter, John moved to Fresno, CA to join Josh Koscheck and his team at Dethrone Base Camp. In 2015 John and his wife moved to Wilmington, NC where he and middleweight for the UFC Derek Brunson train together.
MMA career
John Salter began training in wrestling at age 12, going on to win a 2002 state title while in high school. He went on to attend Lindenwood University in St. Louis, Missouri, where he won the 2007 NAIA National Wrestling Championship at 174 lbs.
Following college, Salter won various national grappling tournaments, including the 2007 NAGA Nationals (No-Gi, middleweight) Expert Division, as well as the 2007 Casca Grossa (No-Gi, 175 lb and up) Professional Division.
In addition, Salter began training kickboxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He made his amateur MMA debut in 2007 and compiled an undefeated record of 7-0. He made his professional debut in March 2009 at middleweight and has maintained a of record of 8-2.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
On January 11, 2010, Salter made his UFC debut, stepping in as a last-minute replacement for Mike Massenzio against Gerald Harris at UFC Fight Night 20. Salter lost the fight due to TKO (strikes) in the 3rd round.
Salter was scheduled to face Nick Catone on May 8, 2010 at UFC 113, but Catone was forced off the card with an injury and instead faced UFC veteran, Jason MacDonald. After 2:42 of the first round, MacDonald suffered a suspected broken ankle and Salter was declared the winner by TKO (injury).
Salter was expected to face Phil Baroni on August 28, 2010 at UFC 118, however Baroni was forced off the card with an injury. Late replacement Dan Miller defeated Salter via guillotine choke in the 2nd round.
Salter was released from the UFC with a 1-2 record.
Strikeforce
Salter was expected to make his Strikeforce debut against undefeated Yancy Medeiros at Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Saffiedine on January 7, 2011, but Medeiros was forced from the bout with an injury. As a result, Salter was pulled from the card, but later re-added, fighting Casey Huffman who he defeated via TKO due to strikes in the 1st round.
Armageddon
Salter defeated former UFC fighter Kalib Starnes in the main event of AFC 6: Conviction for Armageddon FC in Victoria, BC, Canada, on June 18. This fight was for the AFC middleweight title belt.
Bellator MMA
In his Bellator MMA debut, Salter faced Dustin Jacoby on January 16, 2015 at Bellator 132. He won the fight via submission in the second round. On June 17, 2016 John faced the former Middle Weight title holder Brandon Halsey on the main card for Bellator 156. Salter won via submission by triangle choke.
Championships and accomplishments
- Armageddon Fighting Championships
- AFC Middleweight Championship (One time; Current)
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 16 matches | 13 wins | 3 losses |
| By knockout | 7 | 1 |
| By submission | 6 | 2 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 13–3 | Claudio Annicchiarico | TKO (punches) | Bellator 168 | December 10, 2016 | 1 | 1:40 | Florence, Italy | |
| Win | 12–3 | Brandon Halsey | Submission (triangle choke) | Bellator 156 | June 17, 2016 | 1 | 4:03 | Fresno, California, United States | |
| Win | 11–3 | Dustin Jacoby | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Bellator 132 | January 16, 2015 | 2 | 3:33 | Temecula, California, United States | |
| Win | 10–3 | Jaime Jara | Submission (triangle choke) | TWC 18: Halloween Havoc 3 | October 25, 2013 | 1 | 2:20 | Porterville, California, United States | |
| Win | 9–3 | Fred Weaver | TKO (punches) | Strikehard 23 | April 27, 2013 | 1 | 2:58 | Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States | |
| Loss | 8–3 | Reggie Peña | Submission (guillotine choke) | XFC 18: Music City Mayhem | June 22, 2012 | 2 | 0:36 | Nashville, Tennessee, United States | |
| Win | 8–2 | Ryan Machan | Submission (rear-naked choke) | PFC 8 | December 9, 2011 | 1 | 2:47 | Red Deer, Alberta, Canada | |
| Win | 7–2 | Kalib Starnes | KO (punches) | AFC 6: Conviction | June 18, 2011 | 2 | 4:13 | Bear Mountain Arena, Victoria, Canada | Won AFC Middleweight Championship. |
| Win | 6–2 | Casey Huffman | TKO (punches) | Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Saffiedine | January 7, 2011 | 1 | 2:59 | Nashville, Tennessee, United States | |
| Loss | 5–2 | Dan Miller | Submission (ninja choke) | UFC 118 | August 28, 2010 | 2 | 1:53 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | |
| Win | 5–1 | Jason MacDonald | TKO (leg injury) | UFC 113 | May 8, 2010 | 1 | 2:42 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | MacDonald suffered a leg injury during a takedown attempt from Salter. |
| Loss | 4–1 | Gerald Harris | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Maynard vs. Diaz | January 11, 2010 | 3 | 3:24 | Fairfax, Virginia, United States | |
| Win | 4–0 | Jeremiah Riggs | TKO (punches) | CCCW: The 3rd Degree | October 17, 2009 | 1 | 4:44 | Springfield, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 3–0 | James Hammortree | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Ultimate Event Promotions: Vendetta | July 27, 2009 | 3 | 1:58 | Daphne, Alabama, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Roberto Traven | KO (punches) | Adrenaline MMA 3: Bragging Rights | June 11, 2009 | 1 | 2:15 | Birmingham, Alabama, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Patrick Mandio | Submission (armbar) | KOTC: Invincible | March 27, 2009 | 1 | 4:35 | Atlanta, Georgia, United States |