In 2024, Dakota Ditcheva is arguably PFL's star fighter. She's remained undefeated throughout her career and doesn't appear to be letting anything stop her.
Due to her three back-to-back first-round finishes in the PFL 2024 season, she's been getting attention from the PFL brass, the media, and the fans. All that attention has caused some rifts with the other girls in her division, she says.
“There is definitely a little bit of jealousy I think and a bit of frustration from a few fighters.” Ditcheva told MMA Fighting ahead of the Nov. 29 PFL Championships. “I get it. Like you said, it’s a business. We have to be able to sell these fights in order to get paid. If you want to get paid, do something. Make your fights exciting or get on social media and make an effort, you have to… I don’t know why anybody is getting frustrated with me.”
She will face a former UFC fighter, and the biggest test of her career, when she faces off with Talia Santos on Friday in Saudi Arabia.
“I’m just getting what I can out of my years in the sport, and I feel like that would be the clever thing to do…. [Santos] is a very good fighter. I respect her a lot, she was a fighter I watched in the UFC. I know how tough she is, and I know she’s a dangerous person… [But] I know what I’m capable of.”
If Ditcheva wins, she'll be the first fighter to win a European PFL title and the global title.
How to watch the PFL World Championship live on DAZN on Friday
Watch Brendan Loughnane vs. Timur Khizrie, Dakota Ditcheva vs. Taila Santos and the PFL World Championship fight card live with a DAZN subscription.
Right now you can sign up to a subscription at a huge discounted rate with DAZN's Black Friday offer. UK viewers get up to 33% off their subscription, while US customers get up to 50%.
For an annual subscription, that is now only £89.99, reduced from £119.99, in the UK, and $112.50 down from $224.99 in the US. There are also monthly subscription options.
DAZN is the home of combat sports, broadcasting over 150 fights a year across boxing, bare knuckle boxing, MMA and crossover boxing.
Signing up before November 29, with both annual and monthly options, will get you get the best seat to the biggest fights still to come this year and into 2025.