John Salter believes he’s ready for a showdown with the middleweight champion.
Salter has been hitting his stride as of late. The former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 185-pounder is riding a five-fight winning streak. Since coming to Bellator, he’s scored finishes over Dustin Jacoby, Brandon Halsey, and Claudio Annicchiarico.
Tomorrow night (July 14), Salter steps inside the cage with Kendall Grove at Bellator 181. He explained to MMAJunkie.com why he feels he’s at a championship level:
“Brendan Halsey had a run through Bellator where nobody was really touching him. Carvalho caught him with a body kick. I think that was the only thing Carvalho really did to him in that fight. Halsey moved to his back, almost submitted him, beat him up. Then I went in there, I ran through Halsey – on the feet, on the ground, everything. So I think that shows I’m right there. I’m ready for that fight.”
Salter went on to say that he’s glad to have another opponent who will push him closer to that title opportunity.
“This is huge. This is a great opponent, because Kendall is a big name. Kendall’s been tough for a long time. Everybody knows he’s a good fighter, so a win over him means a lot. I want fights that will put me as No. 1 contender in Bellator. I’m not looking for easy fights. I’m looking for the top guys, who’ll put me right there.”
