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.”