Dalton Rosta will cross bridge for Bellator title bout vs. teammate Johnny Eblen if it comes
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Dalton Rosta wrapped up his 2022 fighting calendar at a perfect 3-0, and if he keeps the same pace in 2023 could have something big in his future.
Rosta (8-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) kept his perfect record intact with a unanimous decision win over Anthony Adams (9-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) to open the Bellator 289 main card Friday in Uncasville, Conn. If he goes 3-0 in 2023, it would make him 11-0 – the same record his American Top Team teammate Austin Vanderford had earlier this year when he got a middleweight title shot, and the same record teammate Johnny Eblen had when he beat Gegard Mousasi to win the belt a few months later.
So it’s reasonable to think an 11-0 Rosta could find himself in the title picture, especially considering he already was No. 5 in Bellator’s rankings at 185 pounds before his win over Adams.
“I continue to get better,” Rosta told MMA Junkie after the fight. “… I’m getting my experience in the cage. One thing I can take away from these decision victories, even though I don’t want to (have decision wins), is I’m getting more cage time and I’m learning to chain things together as I go.
“Johnny Eblen’s the champ in our weight class. He’s one of my teammates and he pushes me every day in the gym. One day, we might have to fight each other. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that, but at the end of the day, it’s just business. But until that day, I’m going to keep training with him and keep getting better, because he pushes me. He’s a beast … I think he has all the qualities I have, plus a good gas tank. He’s a really good fighter, and I’m blessed to have people like him in the gym.”
Rosta said he’d like to fight John Salter, who is ranked No. 3 in Bellator’s middleweight division, but so far hasn’t been able to get it on the books.
“(Salter) is like Romero Cotton 2.0 – he keeps ducking me,” Rosta said. “They tried making the fight twice. There was never any contracts like there was with Romero Cotton. Nonetheless, they’ve offered me the name and the fight never came to fruition. I don’t know what’s going on on his end, but hopefully they can make that fight happen.”
To hear Rosta talk about his win over Adams, training with the champ, and what he wants next, check out the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 289.
