Dalton Rosta’s MMA career has only 11 fights to its credit up to now, but don’t let the fact that the fighter nicknamed “Hercules” has had an interesting road to where he is today. Born in New Castle, PA in November of 1995, Rosta’s journey to the SmartCage has featured twists and turns.
Once a prime contender for the Bellator MMA Middleweight Championship, Rosta joined the PFL’s active roster ahead of the 2025 PFL World Tournament this past winter. With Dalton Rosta due to fight again this upcoming weekend in PFL Chicago on ESPN+ inside the United States of America and on DAZN internationally from Wintrust Arena in the Windy City, now is the right time to take a look back at his career.
Why are we waiting around longer than we have to? Let’s get started.
Dalton Rosta Goes Undefeated in Amateur MMA Career After Giving up Football Aspirations
Upon graduating from Laurel High School as part of its 2014 class, he joined the Seton Hill University wrestling team on the strength of a 62-14 record in his prep wrestling career. In his one and only season at Seton Hill, Dalton Rosta went 22-4.
From there, he’d leave the wrestling mat behind and head to Youngstown, OH and the Youngstown State University football program. The Penguins football team was in a transitional period ahead of the 2015 season.
Former head coach Eric Wolford was fired by the athletic program and in his place came the controversial Bo Pelini, fresh off his stint as Nebraska’s head football coach. Ultimately, Dalton Rosta would never suit up on a fall Saturday for the Red and White of YSU at Stambaugh Stadium. He’d focus exclusively on academics before shifting to MMA, making his amateur debut in 2017, one year removed from the passing of his father at just 47 years old due to injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.
Dalton Rosta’s amateur MMA career was one filled with perfection from beginning to end. He’d go 7-0, but even more impressively than that, Rosta scored all of his amateur wins by knockout or TKO. His amateur MMA finale saw him best Cody Brundage in the third round.
Dalton Rosta Goes Pro in Bellator
By the time the calendar flipped to 2019, Rosta’s amateur MMA career was one for the history file. In March of that year, he’d make the walk to the cage for the first time as a professional under the promotional banner of the late Bellator MMA.
On that first night, he’d draw the assignment of Cody Vidal in the latter’s third pro bout. Rosta’s professional debut was short-lived, with the bout being waved off a minute and six seconds in after the latter sustained a knee injury.
That October, he returned to the cage to fight Claude Wilcox in Bellator 231. “Hercules” continued to impress in his sophomore appearance under the Bellator MMA promotional banner, finishing his adversary with ground and pound in round two.
This undefeated run continued through 2022, by which time Dalton Rosta had amassed a 7-0 record as a professional fighter. As the calendar flipped over to 2023, he’d enter uncharted territory in his MMA life.
Dalton Rosta Tastes Defeat in First Fight vs. Aaron Jeffery
In August of 2023, Dalton Rosta’s eighth career professional fight saw him trek to Sioux Falls, SD for Bellator 298. Aaron Jeffery was on the other side of the cage that summer night.
Jeffery pushed Dalton Rosta to the distance, scoring the unanimous decision victory on the scorecards (29-28, 29-28, 30-27.) This was the first time he’d ever sustain a defeat in his career.
Dalton Rosta Rebounds Ahead of PFL World Tournament
Upon taking a pause from MMA to compete in a grappling match against Tanner Hall, Dalton Rosta went right back to the win column by way of decision in 247 FC: Sprawl in the Burgh 2 from Washington, PA, near Pittsburgh in October of 2023. The summer of 2024 brought about Rosta’s next MMA fight.
He’d head to Dublin, Ireland for Bellator Champions Series 2 and a fight versus Norbert Norvenyi Jr. Rosta would again see his fight go to the scorecards, but unlike the fight vs. Jeffery, he’d score the majority decision win (29-28, 28-28, 29-28.)
Once the 2025 PFL World Tournament’s brackets were finalized earlier this year, Dalton Rosta would be paired against Sadibou Sy in the quarterfinal phase. “Hercules” easily met Sy’s challenge, submitting him with a D’arce choke in the second round of the fight.
As the rest of the card played out on April 18 from Universal Orlando, a rematch versus Aaron Jeffery would be confirmed for Wintrust Arena on the evening of June 27. Rosta wasted little time getting to Chicago ahead of fight week, attending a baseball game at The Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field as a guest of the Cubs organization and throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.
