Early career Salter 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 record of 17–4.
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 third 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, 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. Salter faced
Kendall Grove at
Bellator 181 on July 14, 2017. He won the fight via technical submission in the first round. Salter was expected to face
Anatoly Tokov at
Bellator 188 on November 16, 2017. However, Tokov pulled out of the bout due to an ACL injury and was replaced by Jason Radcliffe. Salter won the fight via submission in the first round. Salter was expected to face
Rafael Lovato Jr. at
Bellator 198 on April 28, 2018. However, Salter was pulled by the Illinois Athletic Commission due to an eye issue on April 24 and replaced by
Gerald Harris. Salter faced
Rafael Lovato Jr. on September 21, 2018, at
Bellator 205. He lost the fight via a submission. Salter stepped in to replace
Melvin Manhoef against
Chidi Njokuani on November 30, 2018, at
Bellator 210. He won the fight via submission in the first round. Salter faced Costello van Steenis on November 8, 2019, at
Bellator 233. Salter outlasted van Steenis and won the bout unanimous decision, becoming the first time that Salter went to the judges. Salter faced Andrew Kapel on August 21, 2020, at
Bellator 244. Salter won the bout via arm-triangle choke in the third round. Salter faced
Gegard Mousasi for the
Bellator Middleweight Championship on August 13, 2021, at
Bellator 264. After having success with his takedowns in the first two rounds, Salter ultimately lost the bout via TKO in round three. Salter faced
Johnny Eblen on March 12, 2022, at Bellator 276. He lost the bout via unanimous decision. Salter faced Aaron Jeffrey on March 31, 2023, at
Bellator 293. He won the fight via unanimous decision and announced his retirement during the post-fight interview. ==Championships and accomplishments==