The beauty of mixed martial arts is athletes are afforded the ability to take losses as they figure things out in their careers. PFL middleweight Dalton Rosta hopes his last two performances will be minor roadblocks in his career. But make no mistake, the Laurel High School graduate will feel the pressure August 7 in Charlotte.

Rosta, who is 11-3, has suffered consecutive knockout losses for the first time in his career. He will attempt to turn things around against UFC veteran Bryan Battle in a middleweight main event. Defeats can't be more emotional than Rosta's last loss.

In front of a sold-out crowd at the UPMC Events Center at the PFL Pittsburgh card, Rosta chose to go for the knockout against former PFL tournament champion Impa Kasanganay. Kasanganay ended up getting the better of the exchange and scored a KO win 3 minutes, 18 seconds into the first round.

Battle, a former UFC fighter who is 12-3 in his career, made his debut in the organization that night, but he lost by submission to another former champion, Johnny Eblen. 

Pittsburgh resident Kiserian Spence, who for the first-ever Muay Thai title contested by the locally-based 247 Fighting Championships in January, did enough to claim a Muay Thai title in Baltimore this weekend.

Josh Fremd was contrite about the mistakes he made in his past during the PFL Pittsburgh event last month. After being cut from the UFC, he was hoping to find a spot in mixed martial arts somewhere. Fremd knocked out Jarrah Hussein Al-Silawi with a left hook to improve to 12-6 as a pro.

Fremd, who now lives in Colorado, announced on social media Wednesday that the PFL has chosen to offer him a new deal following the fight.

"Job interview in Pittsburgh went well," Fremd wrote. "Try blessed to STILL chase this dream in the Rockies."

Fremd, who wrestled at Connellsville High School before attending Slippery Rock University, went 2-4 in the UFC. He was 20-15 during his senior season with the Falcons and placed second in section.

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo.

MOON TWP - Ariane Da Silva considered retiring after her time with the UFC came to an end. After all the time the Brazil native spent honing her martial arts skills, she wasn't quite ready to let things go.

When da Silva made her debut in front of a crowd that hadn't seen a global MMA promotion come to town in nine years, she felt good about her decision to stay in the sport. Da Silva picked up a 29-28 (x3) unanimous decision win over Sumiko Inaba during a flyweight bout.

"Pittsburgh was amazing from the first day we came here," da Silva said. "Everyone was cheering and enjoying the fight. I enjoyed my night in Pittsburgh and debut in the PFL."

da Silva last fought for the UFC in June 2025, which saw her lose her third straight fight against Wang Cong at UFC 316. During her UFC tenure, da Silva never quite lived up to the championship-level hype she came into the promotion with. Da Silva, who is 18-11 on her career, was 6-8 in the UFC.

During the fight with Inaba, da Silva dropped Inaba in the second round and nearly finished the fight. With the win, da Silva has put herself in line to challenge Dakota Ditcheva for the championship.

"I feel amazing," da Silva said. "I feel great to not be retired. I went through, I recovered myself and gave myself a change for my career. With all my years in martial arts, I can't finish like that. The PFL gave me another opportunity. It was a really great opportunity."

MOON TWP - Ethan Goss laments the time he spent away from his 10-month-old daughter. He invested 12 weeks training for his Professional Fighters League featherweight fight with Frederik Dupras Saturday at UPMC Events Center. When everything ended with a contested stoppage in the first round, it was draining for Goss.

"I spent 12 weeks only getting to see my daughter 30 minutes a day in the morning because I was gone every evening and on the weekends," Goss said. "I was driving to Pittsburgh and training at other gyms to be 100 percent for this. It's one of those curve balls life throws at you."

Dupras didn't have any questions about the stoppage. The Canadian fighter was on top and wrenching a guillotine choke. He said he felt Goss go unconscious.  Referee Chip Snider agreed and stopped the fight at the 2 minute, 46 mark of the first round.

Goss believes the replay shows his head popping out of the hold before Snider stopped the fight

“I didn’t see the fight yet, but the way I was feeling, I was feeling like he was panicking,” Dupras said. “His arm was kind of trapped. I was feeling he had no way to tap. … At one point, I felt like he was getting numb. I feel he went out.”

Goss, a former two-division champion at locally-based 247 Fighting Championships, believes the replay shows otherwise. He immediately protested the stoppage in the cage. After watching the fight back several times, Goss said that he planned to file an appeal with the Pennsylvania State commission to try and overturn the result to a no contest.

"If you watch the fight, as he went over the top of my head, I immediately caught the arm and my hands were in," Goss said. "He was being coached by the ref to be active because he wasn't doing anything. He warned him like two or three times that he was going to stand us up. He tried to pull the choke underneath. You aren't going to choke someone out when you have both hands in. I wasn't pulling my hands out because I didn't want to slip and give him the choke."

Dupras, who improved to 2-1 in the PFL and 12-8 in his career, has seen all three of his PFL fights end by submission. He felt like Goss had gone out. Dupras lost his debut fight by rear-naked choke to Gabriel Braga, but has bounced back with a pair of guillotine wins over Nathan Kelly and Goss. 

Goss felt like Dupras' corner helped influence the stoppage.

"As soon as I started kick my legs, they were yelling that I was tapping and I wasn't tapping," Goss said. "Obviously, I was kicking and fighting and fighting. Then when I went flat for that split second to get him to regrip or reangle his choke, they yelled, 'He's out. He's out'. They persuaded the ref to stop the fight. If I would've went flat and laid there for three seconds it would have been understandable. But it was a split second, a half second."

MOON TWP - The Pittsburgh area will see the return of an global MMA promotion for the first time since Sept. 16, 2017, Saturday night when the Professional Fighters League hosts a fight card at Robert Morris' UPMC Events Center. 

PFL officials said at the weigh-in Friday at the Pittsburgh Airport Marriott that the event was sold out. Local fans will see plenty of talent from the area. Dalton Rosta, a Laurel graduate, is at the top of the list. He will compete in the co-main event against Impa Kasanganay.

The UFC last hosted a show at PPG Paints Arena nine years ago which saw Luke Rockhold defeat David Branch by second-round TKO in the main event. All three local fighters are coming off defeats in their last fight.

Rosta will be eager to bounce back after suffering his first-ever KO loss last April during the PFL Middleweight Tournament championship fight against Fabian Edwards. After two competitive rounds, Edwards, the brother of former UFC champion Leon Edwards, caught Rosta with a headkick to secure the win.

Rosta, who was previously on a three-fight winning streak in MMA, is 11-2 during his career. Rosta will have a difficult challenge against Kasangany, who has found a second life in the PFL. Kasanganay, a former UFC veteran best known for being on the receiving end of one of the most devastating knockouts in the promotion's history in 2020, has showed off his striking throughout his PFL tenure.

Kasanganay, who is 19-6 overall, is 9-3 during his time in the PFL. He set the PFL world on fire after he won a PFL challenger series fight before going on to win the 2023 PFL World light heavyweight championship.

Brashear graduate Tamara Humphries posted recently that she plans to transfer from Pitt Johnstown. Humphries made waves during her freshman season with the Mountain Cats, compiling a 17-4 record and earning the No. 2 seed at the NCAA National Tournament qualifier at 117 pounds. Humphries ended up placing fifth during the qualifiers and helped the team finish eighth out of 18 teams.

Humphries finished 20-6 during her senior season and placed third in the PIAA at 112 pounds. She also participated in the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic, picking up a win at the event dubbed the "Rose Bowl of Wrestling."

​Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo.

Mt. Washington resident Xavier Rodela, who recently made his successful novice amateur debut with 247 Fighting Championships, signed to compete with the Future Fight League in their 135-pound bantamweight division.

The FFL is planning to hold an event March 21 in Harrisburg. According to Tapology, the FFL is based out of Ottawa, Canada. Rodela debuted with a second-round KO during the 247 MMA at the Venue 4 event in North Versailles.

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo.

Dalton Rosta is getting prepared for his next professional fight, which will be March 28 at Robert Morris University's UPMC Event Center. Rosta, a former middleweight title challenger in the Professional Fighters League, will take on former PFL champion and UFC veteran Impa Kasanganay in the co-main event.

Rosta, who attended Laurel High School, recently posted a picture of him training with the wrestlers at his high school program. Rosta, who is 11-2 in his career, is looking to bounce back from his first career knockout loss. 

Rosta was knocked out by a headkick against Fabian Edwards, who is the brother of former UFC champion Leon, during the PFL middleweight tournament championship fight last August. The loss was disappointing for Rosta after he avenged his first career loss by beating Aaron Jeffrey in a controversial decision in the semifinal.

Rosta last competed in the Pittsburgh area during a 247 Championships grappling event in October 2023. He beat Tanner Hall via decision in a grappling bout during Sprawl in the Burgh 2 at the Meadows Casino.

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo.

PENN HILLS - The progress McKeesport wrestling coach Adam Alfer is chasing isn't anything complicated. With a lineup full of inexperienced wrestlers, Alfer wants to see the Tigers learn from their mistakes.

McKeesport picked up its first dual meet win of the season when it beat Penn Hills, 48-24, Monday night on the road. The Tigers (1-10) received seven forfeits. Tigers freshman Jamal Hafiz picked up McKeesport's lone win on the mat when he pinned Jayden Fuqua at 121 pounds.

"We're just trying to build some confidence in all the moves that they're working on in practice and the repetition their taking," Alfer said. "We want the kids to understand the way the moves work when you hit them out here, not just in the wrestling room, we want the kids to advance into some of the moves they've been working on. Hopefully, it carries into the postseason. We're a young team and hopefully the program continues to grow the sport."

Hafiz improved to 6-8 on the season with five of his wins coming via fall. With the win over Fuqua, Hafiz snapped a two-match slide and won after not wrestling for 10 days.

"He's had an up-an-down season," Alfer said. "He understood coming in that he's been building confidence over the past couple matches and has been working hard in the mat room. He finally put it together against a good kid from Penn Hills."

Penn Hills (0-4) has struggled to keep its numbers up with injuries and eligibility issues. The Indians won four of the five contested matches against McKeesport.

Penn Hills senior Daemon Phipps, who improved to 21-5 with a pinfall win over Isaiah Johnson at 121 pounds, improved to 85-36 in his career on the Indians' Senior Night. Indians coach Jeremy Packer said his team has done the most with what they have available.

The most competitive bout of the night was the 133-pound match between Xavier Nicholas and Evan Morgan. Morgan picked up the first takedown before Nicholas rallied to score a pin. Tony Gay-Scott (172 pounds) and Zakariyaa Lahujjiddin (285) also won for the Indians, winning by pin and injury default, respectively.

"It would be nice if we had a deeper lineup and then we could be a senior-led team and then they could be leading us to wins," Packer said. "It is what it is this year. We're just kind of learning and growing in every match and trying to get better."

McKeesport 48, Penn Hills 24
107: No match
114: Brady Helfrich (M) win by forfeit
121: Jamal Hafiz (M) pin Jayden Fuqua
127: Daemon Phipps (P) p. Isaiah Johnson
133: Xavier Nicholas (P) p. Evan Morgan
139: Jayden Cotton (M) wbf
145: Tyler Faulk (M) wbf
152: Tory Anderson-Pearson (M) wbf
172: Tony Gay-Scott (P) p. Evan Leone
189: Naragana Roka (M) wbf
215: Mahiya Brown (M) wbf
285: Zakariyaa Lahujjiddin (P) injury default Alex Winowitch

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo.