With the loss of the Veta Artega vs. Desiree Yanez fight at Bellator 250, middleweight prospects Dalton Rosta and Ty Gwerder found themselves on the main card.
Rosta entered the fight a perfect 3-0, with all his pro fights falling under the Bellator banner. Hawaiian Gwerder was making something of a short turnaround, appearing just six weeks after a win back in September.
Rosta’s “Hercules” nickname has proven to be well-earned over his short career, as he carries an impressive amount of muscle on his frame. Gwerder, however, told Cageside Press ahead of the fight that he’d rather finish an opponent early, instead of dragging them into deep waters. The big question, regardless, is whether Rosta would slow if the fight went late. He answered that Thursday: he didn’t.
The former light heavyweight had his kicks going early, and unsurprisingly appeared to have the power advantage. It was Rosta pressing forward in the opening round, with Gwerder looking to counter. A jumping attack by the Hawaiian allowed Rosta to secure the first take down, but he could not keep Gwerder down. Along the fence, Rosta’s power allowed him to wrench Gwerder back to the canvas, but again, Gwerder was right back up. By the time Rosta had taken the back looking for a choke, there were precious few seconds left in the frame.
A slip in the second put Rosta in an advantageous position, taking Ty Gwerder down just 90 seconds into the round. From the single to the double to the floor. Rosta quickly moved to the back, getting one hook in and rolling his opponent over. Gwerder found himself face down with a lot of weight on his back. He’d survive, however, making it back to his feet with just over a minute left in the frame. That wasn’t a lot of time to steal back the round, however, and Gwerder was likely down two heading into the third.
The Hawaiian held center early in the third. But despite going past ten minutes for the first time in his career, Rosta didn’t seem to slow too much. He even tried a flying knee. Then wound up forcing Gwerder back to the fence by the middle of the round, closing the distance with his striking, and landing a takedown. He soon moved to mount, and dropped some serious ground n’ pound. Gwerder survived, and even turned the tables, getting in a dominant position late in the round. That, however, was not going to be enough. Rosta had the clear decision.
Official Result: Dalton Rosta def. Ty Gwerder by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
