At Bellator 188, surging middleweight John Salter returned to action, looking to get his grappling game going against Jason Radcliffe.
Salter, 4-0 under the Bellator banner, might lack a little something in name value. If he were to keep winning, however, he’d quickly put himself in range of a title shot in a division turned on its head by the signing of top middleweight Gegard Mousasi. The grappling expert returned to action Thursday in Tel Aviv, Israel at Bellator 188 (Salter previously told us that his wife insisted he appear on international cards should the opportunity arise). The event aired Friday night on Spike TV.
Opposite Salter in the cage was Brit Jason Radcliffe, who boasted a record of twelve wins. All twelve came via finish. Salter boasted a similar record: all fourteen of his wins had come via stoppage.
Would it be a quick one in Tel Aviv?
Radcliffe opened the action with a leg kick, but it was Salter who controlled the action early. He would walk down Radcliffe, who circled away; an early takedown attempt by Salter would initially be stuffed, but he stayed on it, finishing the job along the fence.
Almost immediately, Salter took the back, landing some punches as Radcliffe tried to cover up. At the same time, he deftly slipped an arm under his opponent’s chin, sinking in the rear-naked choke. From there, it wasn’t long before Radcliffe was tapping.
John Salter def. Jason Radcliffe by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 1:55
