Things seem to be happening quickly for Dakota
Ditcheva.
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A few months removed from winning a
Professional Fighters League Europe title, the British
flyweight prospect will square off against Chelsea
Hackett in the co-main event of
PFL 4 on June 13 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville,
Connecticut. Ditcheva began her 2024 campaign with a first-round
stoppage of Lisa
Mauldin at
PFL 1, a performance that earned her six points in the regular
season standings.
The Manchester Top Team product is 11-0 in her burgeoning
professional tenure, and she has already been given star treatment
by the PFL, which is testament to the high expectations surrounding
her future. Ditcheva is grateful for the push, which she points out
has been aided by the engagement of her fans as well as her
performance on fight night.
“It’s meant a lot. I mean, to have an organization like this behind
me, this is probably what all fighters dream of,” Ditcheva said
during a recent media call. “So I feel very lucky to have the
support that I do behind me.
“I think the fans help as well, because on the last card, so many
comments were like, ‘Why is she on the undercard?’… So this time
they’ve put me co-main and you know, that obviously helps and
stuff. But at the same time, I am kind of delivering exciting
fights. I’m always up and and doing my best on the night. So I feel
like I deserve it and we work well together. You know, I put the
good performances on and PFL supports me.”
Ditcheva will have an opportunity to make another statement against
Hackett, a former muay thai champion from Australia who suffered a
submisson loss to Jena Bishop
at PFL 1.
“Yeah, I mean, two strikers, it’s going to be very exciting fight,”
Ditcheva said. “And even though she’s coming off a loss, it’s a
fight that she’s wanted. She’s mentioned my name plenty of times,
she’s commented on enough posts that have got me on them. So I
suppose it’s a fight that she was wanting, too. I’m expecting [her]
to come in and give a good fight.”
In a PFL flyweight field that includes the likes of Bellator champ
Liz
Carmouche and former UFC title challenger Taila
Santos, Ditcheva could be forgiven for wanting a bigger name
opponent. But that chance could arise later on if she takes care of
business and makes it to the postseason.
“Yeah, I suppose [one of those] would have been a great fight, but
I’m not looking past Chelsea either,” Ditcheva said. “You don’t get
to choose your fight. I knew that when I entered the tournament the
season, and that will just save them [for] the next stage, which
will be even more hype around it, even more people watching. So,
yeah, you know, then those fights could still possibly happen.”
While Ditcheva’s profile is still growing, it hasn’t yet
necessarily translated into opportunities outside of the cage yet.
For now, she benefits primarily from the PFL’s support, but she
knows that winning fights will open more doors.
“PFL are the ones that are providing the most opportunity, the
connections they have and the way they look after their fighters
has really benefited me,” she said. “I think outside of the
organization it’s still quite hard for me to get the sponsorship
support.
“So I suppose I’m in that in-between stage where people know about
me, I’ve got a good name, I can represent a brand very well, but at
the same time, I’m not like up there just yet. So I’ve just got to
be patient and just be grateful for the opportunities that PFL are
giving.”