Tyler Xuan Saltsman, after winning at NAAFS' Fight Nite in the Flats in June.
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."
A new beginning
Saltsman was born in Colorado to an American mother and a Thai father. His mother, an unwed 14-year-old drug addict, decided to give him up for adoption, and so he moved to Concord, NH, at age 4, to live with his great aunt and uncle, Theresa and Mark Saltsman.
"I call them mom and dad," he said.
Since that time, Saltsman's birth mother has changed her life, and is now working as a nurse in Brooklyn, NY, he said.
"I don't know who my real father is," he said. "I don't even care; it doesn't even bother me."
However, Saltsman's middle name, Xuan, reflects his Thai heritage. In Thai, the word is connected with the seasons of the year and means "a new beginning," Saltsman said.
Growing up in New Hampshire, Saltsman, who typically answers questions with "Yes, sir," benefited from the discipline his new father, a Navy veteran, bestowed him, he said.
Saltsman began wrestling in 6th grade, losing only three matches during his middle school career, while capturing two state titles and a New England title. Throughout his high school career, Saltsman won four state titles, only the second wrestler in the history of the state to do so.
Saltsman was also a New England champion and was the only wrestler ever in his school's history to win 50 straight matches in one season. He compiled a high school record of 168-9 and was a high school All-American and inducted into the High School Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Beyond wrestling
Saltsman's wrestling accomplishments caught the eye of Penn State's wrestling program; but something else caught his eye in State College: Titan Fitness & Martial Arts, which had taken over the space used by the now-defunct LionHeart Fighters group.
At Titan, Saltsman was able to immerse himself in his Thai ancestry -- learning the techniques of Muay Thai -- under the tutelage of Bruce Lombard, Titan's martial arts director.
Recognizing Saltsman's wrestling ability, Titan owner Paul Zelinka and Lombard arranged for Saltsman to become the academy's wrestling coach; and in return, the two coaches set about bringing the fighter's stand-up game up-to-par with his ground attack.
"It's just fun to work with Bruce and Paul, because they have a lot of striking to teach me," Saltsman admits. "It's been an honor to work with them; they're good people, they're great coaches."
In turn, Saltsman said he appreciates how much Titan acknowledges wrestling as an integral part of MMA.
Zelinka and Lombard have also introduced Saltsman to Combat Submission Wrestling, an aggressive ground fighting style based on the techniques of Catch wrestling, developed by former Shooto champion Erik Paulson.
"CSW will trump BJJ any day," Saltsman said. "BJJ's always about position before submission - Erik Paulson says avoid the submission and punch him in the face ... Just beating on the guy's going to wear him out. .. We'll get the takedown all day and beat 'em up. In your face the entire time. Attack, attack, attack and break your opponent mentally."
Pathway to the pro ranks
In the fall, Saltsman will return to Penn State for his junior year, continuing his major of Energy, Business and Finance, with a minor in military science.
This summer, he's working with his father at a power plant in new Hampshire, and also was accepted at a 3-week military internship at a U.S. military base, to help pay for school.
In New Hampshire, Saltsman trains at Athlete Training Center for his conditioning, strength, and plyometerics. A Youtube video shows him whipping thick ropes at ATC, and then, strapped to the Vertimax, he mixes punches, kicks and take downs, as the machine provides constant tension.
In addition, Saltsman trains MMA at Tokyo Joe's in Hooksett, NH, a Miletich Fighting System affiliate.
Earlier this month, Saltsman signed with California-based Iridium Sports Agency, which suggested that Saltsman continue his amateur career while at Penn State, rather than jump into the pro ranks.
Eventually, Saltsman wants to be in the WEC, gunning for the organization's bantamweight title.
"That's where I see myself eventually," he said.
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