Two of the best mixed martial arts prospects in the United States are set to compete at Bellator 250 on Thursday, and both hail from the Western Pennsylvania area.
First up, Dalton Rosta (3-0) will face Ty Gwerder (5-1) in a middleweight bout.
Rosta, who hails from New Castle, Pennsylvania, wrestled collegiately at Seton Hill before transferring to Youngstown State to play football. He began boxing and jiu-jitsu before he was a teenager, and made his amateur MMA debut in 2017 before going 7-0. He now trains at The Mat Factory and with Louis Armezzani for jiu-jitsu, as well as with former world champion Kelly Pavlik for boxing.
The 24-year-old signed a five-fight deal with Bellator last year, and he’s been impressive through three bouts with three stoppage wins. Most recently, he stopped Mark Gardner in his middleweight debut after a ten-month layoff at Bellator 243.
Now he returns less than two months later to take on his most experienced opponent yet in Gwerder. Gwerder trains out of Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas and comes in with a 1-1 record under the Bellator banner.
Then, Cody Law (0-0) will make his pro debut as he takes on Orlando Ortega (0-0) in a featherweight bout. Law won a NCAA team wrestling championship with Penn State before transferring to Pitt-Johnston and winning an individual title of his own.
The 25-year-old posted a 5-0 amateur MMA record, including four stoppages. Law also trains at The Mat Factory alongside Rosta under the tutelage of Isaac Greeley. He also trains at American Top Team in Florida where former world champion Mike Brown is his head coach. He’s currently ranked as the No. 1 amateur lightweight in Pennsylvania according to Tapology.
Ortega trains out of New York where he represents Team Demolition. He posted a 6-4 amateur record after making his debut in 2018.
Bellator 250, which goes down at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut, will be headlined by a middleweight title bout featuring former champion Gegard Mousasi taking on current welterweight champion Douglas Lima.