Middleweight Dalton Rosta will enter the PFL World Tournament this Friday, competing for the Professional Fighters League for the first time (officially at least) when he takes on a former champion in Sadibou Sy.
Rosta (9-1) last fought in June of 2024, defeating Norbert Novenyi Jr. at a Bellator Champions Series event. That hard-fought battle resulted in a majority decision, though Rosta told Cageside Press that he “didn’t learn anything about myself that I didn’t already know.”
“I had to dig deep for that one, I knew I was able to do it. I got hurt in the last round with an elbow to the back of the head, an illegal shot but I can’t control it. I can’t control whether the ref sees it or not, I can’t control if I get a break.”
The blow came as Dalton was peeling away from a takedown attempt. “It happened twice actually. I can’t control that, it happened, the ref wasn’t going to give me a break if he didn’t see it, and I had to fight through it. Ended up in some bad spots but I was able to survive, and come out of there with the win.”
At Wednesday’s PFL 3 media day, Rosta gave his thoughts on Sy, who claimed PFL gold at welterweight in 2022 and returned to the final in 2023. Now, after a season at 205lbs, Sy moves to middleweight, introduced by the PFL for the first time this year.
“I think he’s a great fighter, lanky, good striker, however there are definitely holes in his game that I can exploit,” noted Rosta. “And I definitely think that my strengths will overcome his weaknesses. And I think that my takedown offense is better than his takedown defense. I think I’m going to go in there and put on a wrestling clinic.”
Rosta’s American Top Team teammate Josh Silveira is also in the PFL World Tournament, but Rosta was clear that should the pair face off, it will be just business.
“It was really my decision at the end of the day. I mean, I talked to my coaches, my manager and stuff about it, but it was my decision. And I wanted to do the tournament. At the end of the day, if me and Josh have to fight each other, so be it. We’re going to be getting paid for it. We beat the sh*t of each other in the gym all the time, so we might as well get paid for it anyway.”
Another fighter in the tournament this year is Aaron Jeffery, who is responsible for Rosta’s only loss as a professional. That’s a fight he would very much like to get back.
“I was hoping I got him first round. I was hoping I got him first round. But I didn’t, but three’s a possibility still I’ll be able to get him at some point still in this tournament,” said Rosta regarding the rematch. “And I just can’t wait.”
Rosta doesn’t want to make any excuses for his only career loss, “but just know if we fight again, it’s going to go completely different, and everybody will know that sh*t was a fluke. Instead of me having to make excuses for myself, they’ll know at the end of the day. The second fight, if we get to fight again, it’s going to be such an ass whupping that there’s not going to be any question at all about the first one.”
Watch our interview with Dalton Rosta above, and his 2025 PFL 3 media day appearance below.
