Latest news with #Ditcheva
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dakota Ditcheva channeling Khabib Nurmagomedov as she targets MMA's improbable records
Dakota Ditcheva is ignoring the naysayers and targeting one of the more improbable records in all of mixed martial arts. Ditcheva, 26, became the youngest champion in PFL history in 2024, and now returns to fight on July 19 for the first time since her breakout $1 million tournament success. The striker meets Sumiko Inaba in a women's flyweight bout in the co-main event of PFL's debut trip to the GrandWest Arena in Cape Town, South Africa. Johnny Eblen fights Costello van Steenis in the headline bout, while high-flyer A.J. McKee also takes on Akhmed Magomedov in his first bout since a 2024 split decision loss to Paul Hughes. Advertisement 'It's going to be a really good matchup,' Ditcheva told Uncrowned ahead of her first fight in seven months. 'Nobody can say [Inaba has] not proven herself. I've seen her around … I have taken it seriously.' Success on fight night isn't the only thing Ditcheva has on her mind, because she wants to be a Khabib Nurmagomedov or Floyd Mayweather for the new era. She wants to storm in, create a legacy, and retire at the top of the sport with an undefeated record in tow. Nurmagomedov (29-0) famously ran a gauntlet at lightweight, beating Rafael dos Anjos, Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier, before calling the curtain on his UFC career with a triangle choke over Justin Gaethje in front of only a handful of people at a behind-closed-doors, COVID-era bubble in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Mayweather (50-0), too, dominated his discipline, retiring as a near-billionaire in boxing after wins over Oscar de la Hoya, Manny Pacquiao and McGregor, among many others. Advertisement 'People always say there'll always be someone there who can beat you, but, who says? Why do people say that?" Ditcheva asked. "Why accept you're going to get beat at one point? That's not the mentality you should have.' Ditcheva is already 14-0 with 13 wins by finish (12 knockouts and one submission). Only Paula Cristina has taken her the distance in just Ditcheva's fifth pro fight, and that hasn't happened again in more than three years. The PFL star is an even greater talent these days, showing a particularly nasty appetite for finishing fights with brutal body shots — like her signature win over the one-time UFC flyweight title challenger Taila Santos this past November in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Uncrowned recognized her exploits by touting her as one of MMA's breakout athletes of 2024, and the combat sports industry ended the year talking up a possible future fight between herself and the UFC flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko. Advertisement By many metrics, Dakota is PFL's biggest homegrown star since Kayla Harrison, who herself is on the cusp of a generational showdown as UFC bantamweight champion against Amanda Nunes — a bout Ditcheva said she'd struggle to watch because she has a relationship with both of American Top Team's championship athletes. Victory over Inaba later this month would advance Ditcheva's professional record to 15-0, but she refuses to stop there. 'If you get beat, it happens,' she said. 'But that's not something I think about. I think about staying undefeated [and going to] 15-0, 30-0, 60-0. 'I'm not thinking about one loss on my record. Hell, no. It's not going to happen for me.' Why accept you're going to get beat at one point? That's not the mentality you should have. Dakota Ditcheva Should Ditcheva keep tallying wins, her growing reputation in combat sports will no doubt transition from that of a breakout performer to a top-tier pound-for-pound sensation. She's already envisioning a dream fight at the 53,000-capacity Etihad Stadium, home of English Premier League giant Manchester City. It's a venue that beloved British boxer Ricky Hatton once fought in, having defeated Juan Lazcano in a homecoming bout back in 2008. Ditcheva wants to be the first MMA fighter to headline the venue. Advertisement '[Fighting at the] Etihad is my dream,' she said. 'We'll have the full Manchester City team [in attendance]. I might even have [City coach] Pep [Guardiola] in the corner, and have him walk me out. 'He's very strategic about mindset,' Ditcheva added of the three-time UEFA Champions League-winning coach. 'He'd be a good person to have in the corner. We need to make that happen so he can walk me out before he retires.' As for the dream opponent, Ditcheva stopped short of name-checking Shevchenko, considering the Kyrgyzstani fighter competes in a rival organization. 'Whoever the best girl is at that time,' she said instead. For now, though, Ditcheva simply wants to help PFL make history in new grounds in South Africa against Inaba, before reclaiming her PFL flyweight belt before the end of the year. Advertisement "I want to be busy,' she said. 'I want to have my belt back by the end of the year. Whichever girl wins, I'll take it from them, for sure. That's my belt. And I'm excited to get it back.' Considering the spectacularly violent nature of her wins to date, few should bet against her.
USA Today
13-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Dakota Ditcheva: Long layoff 'kind of worth it' to fight at PFL Africa debut
Dakota Ditcheva: Long layoff 'kind of worth it' to fight at PFL Africa debut Dakota Ditcheva is glad to be back in action at PFL Champions Series: Africa following a period of inactivity that left her frustrated. After being sidelined since October, Ditcheva revealed in April some of her disappointment with PFL not putting her back in the cage on a timeline she desired in an interview with MMA Junkie. Shortly thereafter, news came she would be returning to competition in the summer. Although Ditcheva (14-0) said her comments caused some awkwardness with PFL behind the scenes, she said it ultimately worked out in her favor. She will now face Sumiko Inaba (8-1) on the July 19 card in Cape Town, the inaugural event for the PFL in South Africa. "This sport takes you places you probably wouldn't be able to visit if it didn't have organizations like this taking it around the world," Ditcheva said. "You have to be very grateful with the opportunity you get in MMA and being able to be co-main event on a card like this to make history, it's crazy to me. I guess the wait this year was kind of worth it." Ditcheva, 26, said her communication with the PFL brass has somewhat improved, along with her understanding of the hectic schedule the brass is pushing through to grow the brand across the globe. Whether she is part of that for the long term remains to be seen, because she said she is still "figuring a few things out" and negotiating specifics. One thing Ditcheva is confident in, however, is more consistent activity. She said the company has obligations to honor, and if she gets past Inaba, who is a name she has to take "serious," then she will be eying the winner of the 2025 PFL World Tournament in the women's flyweight division. "I haven't really got much direction yet," Ditcheva said. "I know they are going to keep me busy. They have to. You will see me fight again this year for sure. ... I'm hungry. How they have another champ this year when I won it last year? They should be challenging me, not all fighting each other to get another belt. "Why am I not in that tournament defending my belt? It just makes me hungry. This fight isn't for a belt, so I'm still going to go with the same hunger, but I'm going to make a statement to everyone that the belt they're fighting for this year should be mine, not theirs."
USA Today
18-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
PFL announces Dakota Ditcheva will return this summer
PFL announces Dakota Ditcheva will return this summer Dakota Ditcheva asked – and now PFL says she'll receive. One day after Ditcheva (14-0) told MMA Junkie she was "gutted" by the lack of activity, it was announced on the 2025 PFL World Tournament 3 broadcast Friday she'll return in July. No date, location, or opponent coincided with this announcement. "I did just have a great chat with Donn (Davis). I did actually," Ditcheva said on the broadcast. "I'm being a little bit more hopeful now. I think people are really getting a little bit more stressed that they weren't going to have me fight this year. But guys, I'm coming back. Don't worry." Ditcheva, 26, broke through as a star in the promotion in 2024 as she went 4-0 with four finishes en route to a 2024 PFL women's flyweight championship. Ditcheva has not competed since November when she finished former UFC title challenger Taila Santos with strikes in less than two full rounds.
BBC News
18-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Gutted' PFL champion Ditcheva calls for fight
Manchester fighter Dakota Ditcheva says she is "gutted" not to have any fight on the horizon in the 26, won the PFL's 2024 flyweight world title, but the PFL have since made sweeping changes to their events including downgrading the tournament will compete on the newly created 'PFL Champions Series' in 2025 and can only watch from afar as the PFL's other flyweights begin competing in the tournament this month."I'm gutted that I haven't had anything just yet," Ditcheva told MMA Junkie., external"I'm just like: Get me anything. Literally I get it's hard for PFL."They've put all the girls in the tournament. Now they have to find someone that's going to give me a good competition."Ditcheva has been told by the PFL she will likely fight at the end of the year against the tournament winner, having last fought in November."What if the champion doesn't end up coming out of the fight clean? What if they're injured?" Ditcheva said."Someone who has fought three times, do they want to fight me at the end of the year?"They might say, 'sorry, I'm injured, or I don't want to fight this year, I'll do it in January'. That's a whole year out for me. It's testing for sure, but something will come."Ditcheva is not the only PFL star to speak out about the scheduling, with several fighters demanding the securing of their release from the MMA promotion including Patricio Pitbull who subsequently signed for the Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen posted on social media in February that he hadn't "heard a peep" about any Fabian Edwards, who lost to Eblen in his last outing in October, will fight in the first round of middleweight tournament on Friday and appealed to the PFL to get their best fighters booked."To see all those guys on the sidelines for a year or over a year, it's craziness. I just hope they can sort out what they need to sort out," Edwards said."I hope they fight all the guys soon. This is how we make our living. This is what we sacrifice everything for. Hopefully, they sort everything out."
USA Today
17-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Dakota Ditcheva 'gutted' by PFL keeping next fight in limbo, trying to trust process
Dakota Ditcheva 'gutted' by PFL keeping next fight in limbo, trying to trust process Show Caption Hide Caption Dakota Ditcheva 'gutted' as PFL keeps next fight in limbo 2024 PFL champion Dakota Ditcheva talks to MMA Junkie's Mike Bohn about her frustration with PFL waiting for her next date and opponent. COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – Dakota Ditcheva has no answers about the date or opponent for her next fight, and it's stirring some frustration within the unbeaten rising PFL star. Ditcheva (14-0) said she is making a good faith effort to support PFL and its plan for her future. However, she hasn't competed since capturing the 2024 PFL women's flyweight championship last November and is clueless as to how much longer she has to wait. "I'm not hearing a lot," Ditcheva told MMA Junkie on Thursday. "Obviously the (2025) tournament has just kicked off for the girls, which I'm very happy for everyone that's in it – kind of. I'd like to be in myself. I am happy to see the girls building the division and get that going. For me, I don't really know what's happening. The only thing I've heard is the winner of that tournament might fight me at the end of the year, which is fine, but it leaves me a very long time without a fight. I'm hoping me and PFL can work something out before then and get me back in the cage for the fans." Ditcheva said she has been pushing to return to the cage since shortly after her second-round TKO of Taila Santos to the win the $1 million weight class prize. She traveled from her native England to American Top Team in Florida earlier this year in hopes something would come, but the phone hasn't rung. Ditcheva: 'Got to just believe in the process' For a 26-year-old who based so much of her identity and passion around competition, Ditcheva said this holding pattern has deeply tested her patience. "The prize was amazing, the belt is amazing, but for me, I want to fight," Ditcheva said. "I've always been a really active fighter, so this for me now, especially not having anything even lined up, is really mentally challenging for me. I've really got to just believe in the process and let everything happen as it should. "It's testing me for sure. That's probably why I went home, because at the start I was here in Florida training and nothing lined up. Seeing everyone train for this tournament, it was really disheartening for me. I went home, refreshed a little bit and now I'm back, ready to get back in the gym and hopefully something happens." Ditcheva, who returned to American Top Team on Thursday to continue her training evolution, said she would've been happy to join the eight-woman field in the 2025 PFL World Tournament. She said she understands why she was held out after already beating most of the notable names, but that situation would've been much preferred over what she's currently enduring. "I'm gutted that I haven't had anything just yet," Ditcheva said. "I'm just like: Get me anything. Literally I get it's hard for PFL. They've put all the girls in the tournament. Now they have to find someone that's going to give me a good competition. They can't give me someone that's just kind of signed to the PFL and doesn't have much experience. It doesn't make much sense. I've just beat Santos. Very easily." Does PFL's vision for Ditcheva make sense? As Ditcheva continues to hope and wait for PFL to communicate its plans, she reminds the company that she's "in contract and you guys have to have me fight." She wants to have faith in the company that has put so much support behind her, but if the goal is to wait to match Ditcheva up against 2025 World Tournament winner, she said that's not a vision she can support. "They're like, 'Oh, we're going to put you in at the end of the year.' What if the champion doesn't end up coming out of the fight clean? What if they're injured?" Ditcheva said. "Someone who has fought three times, do they want to fight me at the end of the year? They might say, 'Sorry, I'm injured, or I don't want to fight this year, I'll do it in January.' That's a whole year out for me. It's testing for sure, but something will come."
