John Salter knows he has to be perfect to dethrone Gegard Mousasi at Bellator 264

John Salter isn’t ignorant to the level of performance needed to take Gegard Mousasi’s middleweight title at Bellator 264.

Salter (18-4 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) is set to challenge for Mousasi’s (47-7-2 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) belt in Friday’s headliner at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

It’s a fight that’s been a long time coming for Salter, who has put together a six-fight winning streak at 185 pounds and has lost just once in his more than six-year tenure with the organization. It’s finally fight week, and Salter is being realistic about what needs to happen.

Mousasi is one of the most decorated fighters in MMA history, and he most certainly won’t part ways with his belt easily. Because of that, Salter knows he needs a near-flawless performance to get his hand raised.

“I got to be the best man I can be,” Salter told MMA Junkie Radio. “Everybody obviously has holes, but he really doesn’t have anything that he’s just not good at. I think what’s most impressive about him is he just really doesn’t make mistakes. I’ve got to not make mistakes and pressure him and keep him on his back foot and keep him worried about what I’m doing rather than opening up his offense.”

Salter has never had a chance to fight for Bellator gold before, so Friday marks a special moment in his life and career. He’s been putting in hard work for more than a decade as a professional, though, and doesn’t necessarily feel he’s got his proper due for his efforts.

Beating someone of Mousasi’s stature for a belt could quickly change all that, though, and Salter said he hopes some respect from the MMA community will be put on his name after Bellator 264.

“It’s the stamp on the career that I need,” Salter said. “I’ve been at a high level for a long time, but I don’t necessarily have the respect from the MMA world that I think I deserve. So I’ll get that too. This will not only solidify myself in the record books in the world champ, but let everybody know that I am at this level and should be fighting guys like this.