While his ceiling in the
Bellator
MMA middleweight division remains somewhat uncertain,
John Salter
has a well-established floor as a seasoned and respected
gatekeeper.
The longtime Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt will put his veteran
skills to work when he takes on former
Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder
Aaron
Jeffery in a featured
Bellator
293 attraction on Friday at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in
Temecula, California. Salter finds himself on the rebound following
back-to-back losses. He last appeared at Bellator 276, where he
wound up on the wrong side of a unanimous decision against the
undefeated
Johnny
Eblen on March 12, 2022. Jeffery, meanwhile, enters his latest
assignment on the strength of a three-fight winning streak. He last
competed on Aug. 12, when he put away
Austin
Vanderford with punches 1:25 into the first round of their
Bellator 284 encounter.
As Salter and Jeffery move ever closer to their confrontation at
185 pounds, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied
them to this point:
38: Years of age for Salter, who was born on March 21, 1985 in
Gardendale, Alabama.
10: Salter wins by submission, accounting for 56% of his career
total (18). His methods of choice: five rear-naked chokes, two
arm-triangle chokes, two triangle chokes and one armbar. Salter
holds seven other wins by knockout or technical knockout (39%) and
one more by decision (5%).
100: Seconds needed for Salter to bury
Claudio
Annicchiarico with punches at Bellator 168 on Dec. 10, 2016.
More than six years later, it remains his fastest finish to
date.
4: Countries in which Salter has competed as a mixed martial
artist. He has gone 13-6 in the United States, 3-0 in Canada, 1-0
in Italy and 1-0 in Israel.
128: Combined victories between the six opponents—Eblen,
Gegard
Mousasi,
Rafael
Lovato Jr.,
Reggie Pena,
Dan
Miller and
Gerald
Harris—who have defeated Salter. They boast a cumulative .799
winning percentage at 128-31-3.
30: Years of age for Jeffery, who was born in Tillsonburg, Ontario,
on Nov. 14, 1992.
9: Jeffery victories by knockout or technical knockout, accounting
for 69% of his career total (13). His list of victims includes
Vanderford,
Fabio
Aguiar,
Andre
Petroski and
Bruno
Assis. Jeffery owns one other victory by submission (8%) and
three more by decision (23%).
11: Companies for which Jeffery has suited up as a mixed martial
artist. He has gone 2-1 in Cage Fury Fighting Championships, 2-0 in
Bellator, 2-0 in BTC Fight Promotions, 1-0 in the
Legacy Fighting Alliance, 1-0 in Standout Fighting Tournament,
1-0 in Combat Zone, 1-0 in Honor Fighting Championship, 1-0 in
King of
the Cage, 1-0 in the North American Allied Fight Series, 1-0 in
Ohio Fighting Championship and 0-2 in
Dana White’s Contender Series.
7: Men other than Jeffery who have held the CFFC middleweight
crown. They are Miller,
Dustin
Jacoby,
Tim
Williams,
Anthony
Smith,
Kyle
Daukaus,
Collin
Huckbody and
Donovan
Beard.
.875: Cumulative winning percentage between the three
opponents—
Caio
Borralho,
Brendan
Allen and
Sean
Brady—who have beaten Jeffery. They sport a combined record of
49-7.