Laurel graduate Dalton Rosta will headline PFL Charlotte Aug. 7 against Bryan Battle

Laurel graduate Dalton Rosta walks to the cage during a PFL event in Pittsburgh earlier this year. Rosta will attempt to halt a two-fight losing streak in Charlotte. Josh Rizzo/Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges

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. 

Rosta has seen a significant uptick in competition during his previous two fights. In August 2025, Rosta went toe-to-toe with Fabian Edwards, the brother of former UFC champion Leon, before losing via headkick knockout in the third round.

While Kasanganay's overall record may not leap off the page, he is a hellacious striker who has the power to turn off the lights of anyone in front of him.

Battle will be a different kind of challenge. He is a more enigmatic fighter. He took nearly two years off MMA after being cut from the UFC after missing weight. 

Battle signed with Mike Perry's Dirty Boxing organization and won a pair of fights before choosing to sign with the PFL. Rosta is 2-2 since he joined the PFL after it purchased Bellator. Rosta was 9-1 under the Bellator banner.

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.