Ahead of the first ever PFL Europe event this past Saturday in Newcastle, one of the names generating huge excitement was British women's flyweight Dakota Ditcheva.
Ditcheva had already been making a name for herself in the PFL with impressive wins at PFL 9 and PFL 10 last year, but PFL Europe now gives the 24-year-old the chance to earn a contract for the PFL regular season in 2024.
But in order to take another step closer to the PFL global roster, Ditcheva first had to get past Malin Hermansson, who was a late replacement opponent, and she did so with flying colours, forcing the Swede to submit with a rear naked choke in round one.
Dan Hardy, who was working as a commentator for the event, gave his verdict on her performance to The DAZN MMA Show and believes Ditcheva will keep going from strength to strength.
"Her progression is incredible, the sky is limitless for her," Hardy stated.
"What’s important as well is that she’s moved through, she’s carried this weight. We saw the outpouring of emotions after the fight because this was a big fight week for her.
"I expect her to go on and improve before we see her in Paris."
Watch the full breakdown of PFL Europe 1 in Newcastle on The DAZN MMA Show here.