Dakota Ditcheva is embracing the moment right now.
Ditcheva (15-0) returned to action in the co-main event at PFL Africa last Saturday, earning a dominant decision victory over Sumiko Inaba — only the second time in her professional career that she’s gone the distance.
She fought seven times across 2023 and 2024, winning both the PFL Europe and PFL World tournaments along the way. Saturday’s win over Inaba in Cape Town, South Africa, marked her first non-tournament bout in the promotion since her victory over Katherine Corogenes in November 2022.
After the fight, the 26-year-old revealed she has signed a new multi-fight deal with the organization. While her next opponent is still unknown, “Dangerous” admitted during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show this week that chasing championship gold isn’t her top priority at the moment.
“Honestly, Ariel, I don't really mind if it's not,” she responded when asked if she would like to fight for the PFL flyweight title in her next outing. “I don't even want the belt. It's really funny, like walking out for this fight, I felt less nervous than I've ever felt before. And I was like trying to explain it to my mum. I don't know whether it's because like, I've done it all now. I fought for the belt, the world title, fought for the million dollars, which is a lot of money. I fought for a tournament where I need to keep winning every round.
“Like I felt like I've been through like the worst emotions now. I feel like I'm just excited to fight. Since when did I ever throw spinning back kicks in fight? Like I must have been comfortable, you know, so if I don't have to fight for the belt again, like I'm not bothered, I'm just going for the wins, I want an unbeaten record and that's it.”
Ditcheva has built a reputation as one of the hottest prospects in women’s MMA thanks to her recent performances. While holding a championship title certainly comes with its perks, the UK star — who trains at American Top Team in Florida — believes the belt isn’t a necessity for her.
“I get, perks anyway, yeah. I am the face of PFL. Like, Sumiko, she said, ‘oh, Dakota's the face of PFL. So if I beat her, does that mean I'm the face of PFL?’ Well, no, because I still am. So I'm rolling with it now.”
