Dakota Ditcheva has all the qualities to become the biggest female fighting star in the world.
That’s the view of PFL co-founder Donn Davis, who in two short years has seen Ditcheva become one of the promotion’s biggest stars, as well as a poster girl for the opportunities that the PFL can offer rising stars of the sport.
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Ditcheva was a 5-0 prospect when she signed with the PFL in 2022, and she quickly made an impression with a pair of first-round finishes in showcase bouts in London and New York.
That saw Ditcheva added to the lineup for the inaugural PFL Europe season, where she would compete in the women’s flyweight division.
The Mancunian striker defeated three fighters in nine months, all by stoppage, to capture the PFL Europe women’s flyweight title and the $100,000 first prize. But bigger riches were to follow, with Ditcheva elevated to the global season for 2024.
It pitted Ditcheva against a stacked field of experienced flyweights with world-level experience. But Ditcheva took the step up in her stride, and a hat-trick of first-round TKOs saw her charge into the season finale against former UFC women’s flyweight title challenger Taila Santos.
In a fight that was expected to provide Ditcheva with the toughest test of her career, Ditcheva produced another big performance as she became the first fighter to finish Santos. Her second-round TKO finish not only earned her a marquee win, it also saw her win the PFL women’s flyweight world title and $1 million.
The PFL now have a bonafide star on their hands in Ditcheva, and PFL co-founder Donn Davis has explained how he wants to continue building Ditcheva until she’s viewed as the biggest female MMA star in the world.
“We had dinner with Dakota the other night,” Davis told TalkSport.
“We simply said to Dakota, seven of 10 major MMA (media) organizations named you Fighter of the Year – not Rookie of the Year, not Rising Star of the Year, Fighter of the Year.
“We want you to be…
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