John Salter knew his time was coming.
The veteran has spent the past six years carving out a name for himself in Bellator’s middleweight division, compiling an 8-1 record to set up a title shot against Gegard Mousasi that goes down at Bellator 264 this Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
Salter finished his first five Bellator opponents before losing to Rafael Lovato Jr., a setback that blocked Salter’s first chance to book a fight with Mousasi (Lovato went on to defeat Mousasi in a title fight).