It's not very often a major MMA promotion inks an amateur to a multi-fight deal for being, well, just an MMA fighter.

Dalton Rosta didn't earn a Bellator MMA contract based on his accomplishments in the NFL, a career in the WWE, or because he was an NCAA wrestling champion. In an anomalous fashion, Bellator signed Rosta in February based on the merit of his in-cage skills.

Bellator's move to add an 0-0 fighter with no crossover claim to fame might seem highly unusual to many, but Rosta wasn't too caught off guard when he received the call.

"I'm not [surprised], but some other people were because I didn't have a pro fight right away," Rosta told FloCombat. "If you look at my wrestling career in college, I did really well. But I got hurt right before NCAAs and played football. So I don't really have the credentials like Ed Ruth or Joey Davis do, where they're national champs, but I'm that level of wrestler. I think Bellator noticed it.

"The guys who are already in the UFC and Bellator, who I got to roll with—I was beating them up pretty [badly]. I knew it was only a matter of time. So no, I wasn't surprised when I got the call. But when I got the call, I was still emotional."

A lifetime of athletic success propelled Rosta into his current position. The 23-year-old light heavyweight has been boxing since age twelve and practicing wrestling and jiu-jitsu since age 14.

An aforementioned collegiate wrestling stint at Seton Hall and a football career at Youngstown State University stemmed into a transition into mixed martial arts. In his seven amateur appearances, Rosta maintained an undefeated record with a 100 percent finishing rate. 

Friday night, Rosta will step into the national spotlight in one of Bellator MMA's highlighted prelims, which will air live on Bellator.com. Squaring off with Rosta will be a fellow Pennsylvania-born fighter, Cody Vidal (1-1).

"[Expect] a first-round knockout," Rosta said. "I watched video on him and I'm not that impressed. He's heavy on his feet and moves very [slowly]. He swings a lot of hooks and overhand rights—a lot of stuff that's easy to get out of the way of. [As] I said, he's not quick. I'm a lot faster than he is. It's going to be easy and cut angles and be in and out on him. I don't see it lasting longer than the first round."

There is no question Rosta is eyeing a Bellator MMA title down the line. However, there is a question of which one he'll be targeting.

"The belt is the goal, but whether it's 205 or 185, that's up in the air right now," Rosta said. "I do well at 205, but I fought one of my amateur fights at 185. It was really tough with same-day weigh-ins, but with weigh-ins the day before, I don't think it'd be that tough. I think I'd do really well there too, but it's just about talking to my coaches and seeing what they think the best idea is for me in the long run. Both belts are the goal."