Tyler Xuan Saltsman: Taking His Time to the Top
Tyler Xuan Saltsman: Taking His Time to the Top
The 21-year-old former Penn State wrestler impressed in his first amateur fight, and now has an agent, but is willing to put the time in to do it right.
By Ted Czech
Tyler Xuan Saltsman left the prestigious Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling team this spring in favor of a career in MMA — and the budding bantamweight fighter said recently he’s never looked back.
Saltsman, 21, was a 133-pounder and was first on the team for his weight, but grew frustrated when he was only scheduled to wrestle half of the tournament matches, splitting time with his second, he said.
His last match with Penn State was in either January or February, he said.
On June 5, Saltsman fought his first mixed martial arts fight in Ohio on the NAAFS’ Fight Nite in the Flats event, the promotion’s biggest show of the year, in the organization’s first 135-pound fight ever.
Saltsman won by unanimous decision, mixing up lightning-fast take-downs and vicious ground-and-pound with Thai kicks.
Reflecting back on that first win, Saltsman said he felt like he could’ve gone another 3-rounder, but also that he wished he could’ve finished his opponent.
Either way, Saltsman said he’s ready for more.
“My first fight was the most fun I’ve ever had, more than any wrestling match. It was a blast,” he said. “A win is way more glorious in MMA than in a wrestling match … Just the rush of stepping in the cage with somebody … because MMA’s going so well, I don’t want to go back.”
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