Josh Fremd continues ascent with win at PFL Charlotte, Dalton Rosta loses split decision in moving day in middleweight division

Connellsville graduate Josh Fremd collected a win at PFL Charlotte at Bojangles Coliseum. This photo shows him walking out at PFL Pittsburgh in March. Josh Rizzo/Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges

It was a moving night in the Professional Fighters League middleweight division Friday at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte. Josh Fremd, a Connellsville graduate, continued his ascent in 2026.

Dalton Rosta, a Laurel graduate, suffered a split-decision loss to drop his third consecutive defeat.

Fremd had a war with Brazilian Jhony Gregory, who has a penchant for finishing fights in the first round. Fremd had to work his way out of a choke to move into the second round. With Gregory exhausted, Fremd used his striking to score a technical knockout.

Fremd (13-6) has now won three fights via knockout in 2026. Two of those wins came in the PFL, where Fremd was ranked ninth in the division before his fight with Gregory, and one was in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.
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Dalton Rosta shows his true colors during his Main Event walkout □#PFLCharlotte | Main Card LIVE NOW on ESPN pic.twitter.com/v4BWrkVDt4

— PFL (@PFLMMA) August 8, 2026

Rosta (11-4) had a colorful walkout before the fight. He started in a Carolina Panthers jersey, before taking it off to reveal a Steelers jersey underneath. Rosta drew the ire of the Charlotte crowd, which was behind Battle in his hometown.

Before the fight, the fighters didn’t touch gloves. When the fight started, however, the action was lacking.

Rosta, who was ranked fourth in the division, employed a grappling-heavy approach and couldn’t hold battle down as the fight wore on. Despite Rosta’s inability to land heavy strikes, Battle also couldn’t employ much of his striking either.

Battle told Dan Hardy during his post-fight interview that he wanted to look for more openings to counter.

“It’s a pleasure to fight at home,” Battle said. “It’s hard to fight a tough guy like Dalton. I was hoping he would give me a few openings, but he kept it technical tonight. We were both trying to bounce back.”

Battle and Rosta had both fought on the PFL Pittsburgh card in March. Battle was submitted by PFL interim middleweight champion Johnny Eblen.

Rosta was knocked out by former PFL Tournament winner Impa Kasanganay in the first round.

Battle wants to quickly climb into the title picture as the PFL starts to inch closer to its rebranding under the MVP Promotions umbrella in 2027.

​“I’m not going to sit around and wait for something,” Battle said. “Let me whoop someone’s ass, please.”

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.