
Dakota
Ditcheva is trying to forget about her hand injury as she
prepares to return to action in the
Professional Fighters League.
The unbeaten British standout meets former Bellator
kickboxing champion Denise
Kielholtz on July 31 at UBS Arena on Long Island, New York,
marking her return after suffering a broken hand against Sumiko
Inaba in 2025, an injury that sidelined her for more than a
year.
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Dakota Ditcheva discusses confidence struggles before PFL fight
with Denise Kielholtz
Despite a 100% physical recovery from her injury, Ditcheva still
struggles with the mental aspect of returning to competition. She
recently admitted that the biggest hurdle has been regaining
complete confidence in her repaired hand, especially having
undergone reconstructive surgery.
“You have to try and forget about it,” Ditcheva said about her
recovery after the surgery. “I’m doing everything I was doing
before it was broken, so for now, it’s just the mind. I don’t have
any evidence to suggest the hand isn’t as strong as it was before;
I’m hitting just as hard as I was before.”
Ditcheva also claimed that she occasionally feels “nervous” before
training sessions.
“When I get ready for training in the morning, I’m nervous,” the
PFL star added. “But that’s what makes me go and those feeling are
what I live for every day.”
The Summer of PFL rolls on! ➡️
The
#PFLSummerSeries continues straight into New York with the
return of undefeated Dakota
Ditcheva this Friday, July 31st against Denise
Kielholtz #PFLNY
| Friday, July 31st | 📺Prelims 4PM EST on the ESPN App | Main Card
7PM EST on ESPN pic.twitter.com/wsHRozzHYK— PFL (@PFLMMA)
July 26, 2026