Dakota Ditcheva felt bothered by hearing boos from some in
attendance at PFL New York. | 📷: PFL MMA
Dakota
Ditcheva’s win over Denise
Kielholtz drew a negative reaction from some fans in
attendance.
Ditcheva entered her latest
Professional Fighters League bout as the betting favorite and
delivered a dominant performance against Kielholtz. However, her
performance drew a negative reaction from portions of the crowd who
began booing, a reaction Ditcheva wasn’t expecting.
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Dakota Ditcheva discusses fan reaction, Denise Kielholtz win
and PFL New York return
Ditcheva has seven first-round stoppage victories in the PFL, but
her latest performance didn’t live up to the hype behind her. After
her unanimous decision win at UBS Arena in Belmont, New York,
Ditcheva discussed hearing boos from the crowd during her fight
with Kielholtz.
“It bothered me… Only because I’m passionate about the work I do
and I wanted a stoppage myself,” Ditcheva said at the post-fight
press conference. “But at the same time, words from my brother and
my coach will always be, ‘We don’t care about what anybody else
thinks.’”
While she wants to be known as an entertaining fighter, Ditcheva
reiterated that her primary goal is always winning the fight by
whatever means necessary.
“I don’t want them to boo because I want to be exciting and
entertaining for you guys, but at the same time, I’m in there
fighting,” Ditcheva added. “I’m not in there, like, performing a
dance. I have to do what’s right for me to get the win and come out
on top and that’s what I did today.”
The fight marked Ditcheva’s return following a year-long layoff due
to injuries. Despite failing to find a finish, the Brit is content
with her performance and sees the positives in accruing 15 more
minutes of cage time.
“I got a good three rounds out of the fight,” Ditcheva concluded.
“I’ve been out for a long time, so it’s good experience for me. My
coaches are happy, because it’s valuable time in the cage that I
need as an athlete and a fighter in order to keep progressing.”