Dakota Ditcheva arguably turned the brand new face of the PFL along with her dominant run by way of the ladies’s flyweight division in 2024, however that now begs the query of what comes subsequent.
Reality be instructed, the 26-year-old fighter from England doesn’t know the reply to that proper now both, as she embarks on an important 12 months forward for her. After claiming a championship and the $1 million prize that comes together with it, Ditcheva needs to proceed rising up the ranks at 125 kilos, however that’s going to require her to face newer and higher competitors.
That’s why she stays undecided on her plans for 2025 in relation to rejoining the PFL season-long event or presumably focusing on one-off fights that might doubtlessly land on main occasions just like the “tremendous struggle” exhibits on pay-per-view.
“Clearly, the merger with Bellator is ideal,” Ditcheva instructed MMA Combating. “They undoubtedly nonetheless have a gifted group of flyweights for positive. So there’s undoubtedly nonetheless going to be a number of choices that we will push our heads collectively and provide you with. They’ll have to search out [new talent]. I believe once more, being in a event, do individuals wish to see me struggle the identical women within the event once more? Do they just like the event format? I’m undecided.
“Would it not be higher of you to place me on a pay-per-view card and have me on a giant struggle and market it like that? They promote me rather a lot throughout these tournaments. Might that work on a pay-per-view? I’m undecided. Possibly it might when you get me a giant struggle. For those who put it in Manchester, put a number of massive names on it, issues like that. There are such a lot of choices. PFL are fairly good like that.”
Ditcheva arguably already took out the most important and most established title within the division when she completed former UFC title challenger Taila Santos because the year-end PFL card in November.
She acknowledges Bellator flyweight champion Liz Carmouche as a possible opponent, however finally, PFL has to refill these coffers with greater and higher competitors.
When two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison was in an analogous place, she fought loads of new fighters throughout the PFL season however finally ended up with Larissa Pacheco as her opponent in three separate finales. After already beating Pacheco twice previously, Harrison ended up struggling the one lack of her profession within the third struggle.
Whereas the flyweight division is way deeper than the expertise pool at 155 kilos, the place Harrison competed within the PFL, Ditcheva is aware of the promotion has to exit and signal these fighters to make sure she doesn’t find yourself in an analogous place as her American High Group teammate.
“Kayla preventing Pacheco thrice, was it mandatory? I don’t know,” Ditcheva mentioned. “However then once more, every thing for a motive, and look what she’s doing within the UFC now. That’s what I’m going to say about that. However for me, it’s by no means actually been like, ‘Oh, I’m going to win it a second time.’ I’ve gained it now. Give me one other problem that’s going to encourage me. However then once more, when you put me in it, I’m going to take it critical. Each struggle, I’ll be on it once more. I don’t know. I believe it’s tough as a result of I wish to be preventing higher and higher each time. I need that competitors on a regular basis.
“That’s what I’ve performed the final two years, which individuals don’t perceive. I’ve gone by way of the Europe season, I went up and up and up. I gained that, after which I stepped up and went to the worldwide season, went up and up and up, simply beat Santos. Now I’ve acquired to maintain that motion going. I’m 26, I don’t wish to sit the place I’m or I don’t wish to go down. For me, it’s necessary that me and PFL provide you with one thing to problem me and that I hold progressing. That’s the principle factor for me.”
In fact, PFL has to know the potential that exists in somebody like Ditcheva and her significance to the group, particularly after dropping Harrison to the UFC in free company.
For Harrison, signing with the UFC wasn’t about cash as a lot because the legacy she needed to attain with hopes of changing into one of many biggest fighters of all time.
Ditcheva has related aspirations, however she has religion that the PFL goes to hunt out the sorts of fights that won’t solely hold her busy however proceed to boost her inventory in comparison with each different flyweight on this planet.
“One factor I’ll say about that, individuals have been commenting on a regular basis, ‘UFC missed out on PFL [Europe],’ and what PFL did proper was they went to Europe and picked up that younger expertise, and that’s how they ended up with me,” Ditcheva mentioned. “They’ve form of gone out of that top-level zone, picked up the younger expertise, and now look what they’re getting.
“I do suppose they’re very intelligent with it and suppose they’ll provide you with one thing cool.”
