FRESNO, Calif. — John Salter made a statement on Friday night.

The statement was both heard and seen by those watching on Spike TV and in the Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif. Heard in the deep echo of a left kick stamped to Brandon Halsey’s right eye, and seen in the river of blood that followed.

That kick, although effective, did not officially end the fight, but it certainly marked the beginning of a memorable night for Salter (12-3 MMA, 2-0 Bellator). The former Gardendale wrestler went on to beat Halsey (9-2 MMA, 7-2 Bellator) in the opening round of the middleweight Bellator 156 bout.

His weapon of choice: the triangle choke.

Salter, in the fight’s first trip to the ground, forced a stoppage at the 4:03 mark of Round 1. Halsey, who is a former Bellator champion in the middleweight devision, was seemingly in a good place for the first time of the night when he secured a takedown. Seconds later he found himself locked in a Salter submission and was forced to tap out.

“My strategy was to stay away because he’s a strong guy, he wants to push me against the cage and I can wrestle with him, but I didn’t want to get in a wrestling match there,” said Salter in a post-fight interview with TYT Sports.

The lopsided victory represents Salter’s fourth consecutive win and his first since returning from a 17-month layoff in the wake of multiple injuries. Some see him as the No. 1 middleweight contender moving forward.

Halsey can thank Salter’s wife, Lindsey, for the many stitches he’s sure to be sporting today. Salter credits Lindsey for his return to the sport.

“It was tough for me. It was one of those things where I had to question am I coming back, I want to come back,” he said. “I was at that point where I don’t know where I am and my wife came to me and said ‘No, you’ve put in too much work, you’re going to stick this out,’ and I’ve just got that kind of wife that supports me in everything I do.”

“I feel like I’m better than I’ve ever been. I’ve been blessed; the Lord’s blessed me a lot,” he continued.

Although the triangle choke emerged as the eventual difference maker, Salter sees the bloody left kick he delivered moments after the opening bell as the true turning point.

“(I was) thinking about throwing a head kick in the second round. I thought I could get him tired and that would be the time to throw it, but he came out right away, he wasn’t moving exactly like I thought, so… it was time to throw that head kick early and it landed, and from there it just went my way,” said Salter.

Erik Harris is the Sports Editor of The North Jefferson News. Email him at njnsports@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jeharris2.