Bryan Battle Delights Home Crowd at PFL Charlotte

Bryan Battle's homecoming show concluded successfully. The winner of "The Ultimate Fighter" Season 29 secured his first PFL victory, defeating Dalton Rosta in the main event of PFL Charlotte. The fight night took place on Friday at the Bojangles Coliseum in North Carolina.

Battle (13-3) earned a split decision victory over Rosta (11-4). All three judges scored the bout 29-28, with two favoring Battle and one for Rosta. The Charlotte native, Battle, was ecstatic after the win.

"I knew you didn't think 'The Butcher' was going to lose a fistfight in Charlotte," Battle declared in his post-fight interview. "I knew you didn't think 'The Butcher' was going to lose a fistfight at home. That's never going to happen."

Battle faced challenges in the first round due to Rosta's relentless pressure and grappling, which saw him controlled for most of the period. However, in the second and third rounds, Battle successfully defended many of the takedown attempts and clinch entries from the American Top Team representative. Simultaneously, he landed the more significant strikes on the feet. This proved sufficient to win the final two rounds and, consequently, the fight on two of the judges' scorecards.

With this victory, Battle returned to winning ways after a submission loss to current interim PFL Middleweight Champion Johnny Eblen in his organizational debut in March. In his last six MMA bouts, Battle now boasts five wins and only one defeat.

"The Butcher," who competed in the UFC from 2021 to 2025, was released from the organization in August 2025. The reason cited was a series of instances where he failed to make weight, rather than his athletic performance, as he held a 7-1 record in the Octagon.

On the other side, Rosta is now on a three-fight losing streak. Prior to PFL Charlotte, he suffered consecutive knockout losses to former PFL champion Impa Kasanganay and former tournament winner Fabian Edwards.