Visalia's Tyler Saelee to headline 559 Fights in MMA state title bout
Growing up in Visalia, Tyler Saelee never thought he would get into mixed martial arts.
At Golden West High School, Saelee wrestled for head coach Andrew Sanchez and it was that sport where he found discipline and focus.
After graduating in 2014, Saelee entered the workforce and sports were no longer part of his daily routine.
That hunger for competition never went away, though.
Saelee started dabbling with jiu-jitsu, and about four to five years ago, he reached out to Darren Crisp, a former pro fighter and personal trainer, after seeing some of his videos on Instagram.
The two connected and Crisp introduced Saelee to kickboxing, where the latter competed in two matches.
Shortly after, based on Saelee's wrestling background, Crisp steered his student into mixed martial arts.
That has resulted in a unique opportunity for Saelee.
The Visalia native will headline 559 FIGHTS 103 "Del Toro vs. Saelee" on Saturday night at the Visalia Convention Center. In the main event, Saelee (3-0-1) will fight Madera's Abraham Del Toro (3-1) for the vacant 559 Fights & CAMO State Lightweight Championship at 155 pounds.
"It's been good, man," Saelee said. "It makes me feel good that all the hard work that I've put in has been paying off, and each fight is like my biggest fight. Each fight is harder than the last one. I've just kept getting better each fight, each training session, so it's nice to especially get to fight at home in Visalia. That's something I'm very grateful for because most fighters, I don't think they get to fight at home where you're born and raised. That's a great experience for me."
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Influenced by grandpa
Saelee got his work ethic from his grandpa — Chan Kuang Saelee.
The Saelees are of Mien ethnicity, a minority group hailing from parts of Southeast Asia and China. Most elder Mien in the United States are refugee immigrants from Laos and arrived stateside as early as the late 1970s.
When Saelee was a child, he kept a close eye on his grandfather, learning what it takes to navigate an unfamiliar world through his grandpa's journey.
"My upbringing, the way I was, like, raised, it wasn’t all super easy, but I seen my grandpa's work ethic," Saelee said. "He had mad discipline. He was always a hardworking, honest man. He never missed work, like, ever. Never late for anything. I think seeing that definitely instilled some self-discipline into myself."
Saelee has brought that type of attitude and mindset into the cage.
The 2014 Golden West grad made his amateur MMA debut in August 2022 at Visalia Rawhide's Valley Strong Ballpark. He defeated Gino Gonzales by submission in the third round on the main card at MMA Fights 89.
Four months later, Saelee improved to 2-0 with a win by unanimous decision over Derian Perez.
The 5-foot-11 Saelee registered the first tie of his career when he and Volodymyr Burian battled to a draw in his third bout. In November, he got on the winning side again after defeating Michael Ramirez by unanimous decision.
"It's been a great journey," Crisp said. "We've been together ever since he started training, going on four years now so it's been awesome. Very, very fast learner, very athletic. He's a big 155-(pound)er."
Crisp has been impressed most by Saelee's dedication and work ethic.
"It's actually pretty awesome because you get some guys that think they know everything and he's a sponge, man," Crisp said. "He listens really well and just takes everything I show him into consideration. He actually executes so it's pretty cool to have a student like that. He's always training and he's willing to learn. Some guys, they think they know everyone by watching YouTube, but that's not him."
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A strong supporting cast
Saelee's success wouldn't have been possible without his supporting cast.
His immediate family are his No. 1 fans — girlfriend, Raquel, and their baby son, River.
"My family is definitely a big part of my support system," Saelee said. "My girlfriend, she definitely plays a big role with helping me with everything. She watches our baby now whenever I'm in training. For this fight camp, I've been doing two, three fight camps a day on top of being at work from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. I definitely need her help. She also prepares my meals, keeping my weight on track. Having that is a huge blessing and it plays a huge role. It makes it a lot easier on me."
How does Saelee juggle between work at Medallion Electrical Supply, family life and MMA?
"Really just staying focused on everything that's important to me," Saelee said. "I really just have time for work and my family. I really don't do too much other stuff. Just every once in a while.
"It's definitely a challenge being an MMA fighter and still living your life outside fighting and taking care of all that stuff — family and work. You have to have your schedule right, and I think you need a good support system in this game."
His work family has been a source of inspiration as well.
"Really great group of guys," Saelee said. "I appreciate their support. They've given me the time off for fighting. They're super supportive. Something that I'm grateful for."
Saelee is one of two known Mien MMA fighters in California. Terrance Saeteurn, of Fairfield, is a pro fighter with an overall 4-1 record. Saeteurn has competed for Urijah Faber's A1 Combat.
"I think a lot of Mien people can be really good in this sport," Saelee said. "I think a lot more Mien people are doing mixed martial art challenges, the young generation. So maybe in the future, me and Terrance can inspire these younger generations to become MMA fighters or do well in anything that they do. We're a small group of people in America but we're all capable of doing something great."
How to attend
General admission tickets for Saturday's 559 Fights 103 are $40. VIP tickets start at $100. Tickets are available for purchase online. Fights start at 6:30 p.m. at Visalia Convention Center.
Fight card
559 Fights & CAMO State Lightweight Championship: Madera's Abraham Del Toro (3-1) vs. Visalia's Tyler Saelee (3-0-1)
559 Fights & CAMO State Featherweight Championship: Clovis' Chris Paez (4-2) vs. Sacramento's AbduMalik Saidabulov (4-1)
559 Fights Interim Flyweight Championship: Hanford's Ronnie Reyes (3-0) vs. Manteca's Cyrus Povoor (4-0)
Bantamweights: Clovis' Johnny Diaz (2-1) vs. Bakersfield's Julio Larrave (4-3)
Lightweights: Clovis' Marc Bibiano (3-1) vs. Visalia’s Dorian Hale (3-3-1)
Lightweights: Galt’s Anthony Shelton (3-1) vs. Fresno’s Tracey Hunter (4-1)
Light Heavyweights (195): Clovis' Tony Montalvo (0-0) vs. McFarland’s Jaime Zendejas (0-0)
Women’s Strawweight: Kingsburg’s Jalene Delsid (0-0) vs. Goleta’s Stefanie Salinas (0-0)
Welterweights: Irvine’s Jackson Hemauer (1-0) vs. Fresno’s Tavious Hunter (2-1)
Cruiserweights: Fresno’s Zachary Rodriguez (3-3) vs. Fresno’s Paul Porter (2-4)
Lightweights: Hanford’s Joey Hanford (2-0) vs. Manteca’s Connor Galloway (1-0)
Featherweights: Reedley’s Anthony Romero (2-0) vs. Bakersfield’s Daniel Cerna (1-1)
Welterweights: Madera’s Moses Contreras (1-1) vs. Visalia’s Salvador Aceves (1-0)
Lightweights: Visalia’s Chris Gregg (0-0) vs. Porterville’s Filipe Huerta (0-0)
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Visalia's Tyler Saelee to headline 559 Fights in MMA state title bout
