Professional Fighters League prospect Shanelle
Dyer is following the wisdom of Fleetwood Mac: “Go your own
way.”
Entering the 2024 PFL Europe semifinals, Shanelle
Dyer (5-0) is aiming to establish herself as a new star,
independent of fellow undefeated British talent Dakota
Ditcheva. In 2023, Ditcheva ran through her flyweight bracket
at PFL Europe, and Dyer plans to do the same. She faces Valentina
Scatizzi (3-2) at the PFL Europe 3 Playoffs on Sept. 28 in her
home country of the United Kingdom, and bettors have installed her
as a massive favorite.
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Dyer, a muay thai practitioner who made the transition into MMA and
turned pro in 2023, has already competed twice under the PFL
banner. Her first appearance came in a non-tourney tilt against
Luisa
Fernanda Cifuentes, and her performance earned an invitation to
the 2024 PFL Europe bracket. Speaking to the media before facing
Scatizzi, Dyer was well aware of the comparison to Ditcheva. Paying
respect to the 13-0 fighter, Dyer made it clear that she plans to
pave her own path to the PFL global stage.
“She won the European season last year and I’m going to win it this
year, hopefully she’ll win the PFL global season this year,” Dyer
remarked. “I’m going to try and do the same thing next year. I’m
trying to obviously emulate what she’s doing because she killed it
last year and I’m going to kill it this year. Then we are both
going to be double [Europe and global] champs at the end of
this.”
With four knockouts on her five-win ledger, “The Nightmare” plans
on keeping pace with the Ditcheva. “Dangerous Dakota” sports 11
knockouts, and 12 stoppages overall, on her 13-fight resume.
“I think she’s got 11 knockouts, so I want to keep my knockout
streak, I’m 5-0 with four knockouts so I want to keep that knockout
streak as well as I can,” she remarked.
Ditcheva has since smashed her way through the PFL global women’s
flyweight season, claiming first-round stoppages to punch her
ticket to the million-dollar finals. Receiving plenty of criticism
throughout her first year with the PFL global roster, the
26-year-old from Manchester, England, decided to leave no doubt by
dispatching anyone the matchmakers set in front of her. Watching
Ditcheva’s success like a hawk, a win for Dyer would seat her in
the PFL Europe finals, where she could attempt to replicate the
success of Ditcheva.