At Bellator 273, Rosta (5-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) will face off with fellow rising middleweight and blue chip wrestling prospect Romero Cotton (5-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA). The event takes place Saturday, Jan. 29 at Footprint Center in Phoenix. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Rosta, 26, called for a matchup against Cotton following his Bellator 256 win in April. The victory, which came against Tony Johnson via unanimous decision, kept his unbeaten record in tact. All of Rosta’s pro victories have come under the Bellator banner including three TKO wins and two decisions.
Cotton, 31, joined Bellator following a collegiate wrestling career at University of Nebraska at Kearney. Following a split decision win in his por debut, Cotton rattled off four finishes including a rear-naked choke submission against Dana White’s Contender Series alumnus Justin Sumter at Bellator 254 in December 2020.
With the addition, the Bellator 273 lineup includes:
- Champion Ryan Bader vs. interim champion Valentin Moldavsky – for heavyweight title
- Enrique Barzola vs. Darrion Caldwell
- Sabah Homasi vs. Jaleel Willis
- Romero Cotton vs. Dalton Rosta
