Dakota Ditcheva is undoubtedly the Professional Fighters League's biggest star competing in the PFL 2024 season. Her rise to popularity began when she dominated and won the 2023 PFL Europe season and was then brought up to the global season this year.
PFL built a fresh women's flyweight division for 2024 after hosting women's lightweight and featherweights. With Ditcheva as the division's poster child, it began attracting women from Bellator and the UFC, and the PFL added stars like Liz Carmouche, Juliana Velasquez, Taila Santos, and Kana Watanabe to the roster.
Months later, it's only Ditcheva and Santos that remain. The pair will duke it out to decide the winner of the 2024 season on Nov. 29 in Saudi Arabia.
"I think her and Liz were probably the two that I thought would be there," Ditcheva told DAZN News. "But at the same time, there were a lot of tough girls in Bellator, and with the way the tournament works at the start with the point system, you never know what can happen. So, it did surprise me a little bit, because then Jenna [Bishop] ended up going through, even though she lost against Talia. So, you know, it kind of surprises you a little bit the way the system works."
The tournament is nothing new for Ditcheva but it did present some new goals for her and her team this year.
"Apart from the fact that it's been more busy, there's been an extra fight in there, it's been very similar," she said. "I'm one of the fighters that kind of just lives a lifestyle rather than just fight camps. I'm in the gym all year round anyway. So it's, it's not really too different. The one other difference, I would say, is that I actually moved full-time to America this year. So I didn't just come to camp and then go back home. I got my own place at the end of January and then I've been here nonstop. And I kind of said when I first came that the only reason I will go home is when I've won the world title. So that's kind of come around now."
Another thing that's changed for Ditcheva is her fanbase. Fighting at PFL Europe afforded her a boisterous UK-based following but since fighting and appearing on US soil, she's captured the American audience as well.
"I check my Instagram insights sometimes, and obviously last year was in Europe and the UK a lot, whereas this year, the main thing that we wanted to work on was building a fan base in the US," she said. " And my Instagram has actually changed now. So the highest country they've used my account is the United States. It's not the UK anymore. So it's kind of just clear that what I'm doing over here and fighting over here is definitely building up a fan base."
Of course, when building up fans it also increases the haters. Some fans have been critical of Ditcheva's rise to the finals, claiming her opponents have been "easier" match-ups compared to the path Santos took.
"People are going to say what they're going to say," she laughed. "A lot of people do say that. I mean, for me, it's like, I just fight who's in front of me. If I'd been given Talia in the first round, I would have gone in there and beat her in the first round. So it doesn't really matter to me. But I think what people have to understand as well is this is a business. If I'd gone out in the first round, no one would have probably watched this tournament that much."
Something unique about the PFL is that weight divisions all fight on the same card. That means you will be around your opponent for sometimes weeks before fighting them, perhaps even building a rapport or beef. For Ditcheva and Santos, she says they basically avoided one another.
"She doesn't show her face around a lot, to be honest," she said of Santos. "During fight week, she kind of stays in a room or if you see her walking around, she's normally got a hood up, and she's kind of just very quiet, and so she doesn't really interact much. I don't know whether that's because that's how she likes it, or she's struggling with a tough weight cut."
On the possibility of winning a million dollars in just a few weeks, Ditcheva joked that she has a bit of a shopping spree planned to celebrate. "I'll definitely be getting some new shoes, a new handbag, or something," she laughed.
The PFL Finals will air on DAZN on Nov. 29. Ditcheva and Santos will serve as the co-main event.