2024 PFL Women’s Flyweight Champion Dakota Ditcheva sees one area in which her current promotion firmly surpasses the mixed martial arts leader. The Professional Fighters League and its higher-ups like founder Donn Davis have long outlined its intentions to reach “co-leader” status in MMA. But while the acquisition of rival promotion Bellator MMA appeared to […]
2024 PFL Women’s Flyweight Champion Dakota Ditcheva sees one area in which her current promotion firmly surpasses the mixed martial arts leader.
The Professional Fighters League and its higher-ups like founder Donn Davis have long outlined its intentions to reach “co-leader” status in MMA. But while the acquisition of rival promotion Bellator MMA appeared to mark a potential step toward that, 2024 didn’t exactly go to plan.
The year ended with multiple Bellator fighters, including champions Patrício “Pitbull” Freire” and Patchy Mix, publicly calling out the PFL over canceled fights and events, even requesting their releases.
With that, plenty remain skeptical about the organization’s long-term future, let alone ability to rival the UFC. But that doesn’t mean the PFL hasn’t excelled in some areas — namely, Europe.
During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Dakota Ditcheva — one of the biggest names to emerge from the promotion’s first regional expansion, PFL Europe — lauded her employer for placing focus on discovering the next generation of top MMA fighters in the continent.
“One thing I will say about that, people were commenting all the time, ‘UFC missed out on PFL [Europe],’ and what PFL did right was they went to Europe and picked up that young talent, and that’s how they ended up with me,” Ditcheva said. “They’ve kind of gone out of that top-level zone, picked up the young talent, and now look what they’re getting.
“I do think they’re very clever with it and think they’ll come up with something cool (next),” Ditcheva concluded.
After establishing herself as one to watch with a few wins under the PFL banner, Ditcheva — MMA News’ Female Fighter of the Year for 2024 — competed as part of the inaugural PFL Europe season. She breezed through the competition en route to the women’s flyweight title in 2023.
That secured her spot in the very first PFL Global 125-pound season this year, placing her on a roster that included the likes of Taila Santos, Liz Carmouche, and Juliana Velasquez. “Dangerous” proved that the hype behind her name is warranted, recording three finishes to reach the final before obliterating Santos for the belt and $1 million prize money.
Many have since expressed a desire to see Ditcheva under the UFC banner, especially with her next step in the PFL unknown. The Brit has already suggested that a return to the season format wouldn’t make sense, instead pitching herself as part of the PFL Super Fights events.
Given the difficult many have seemingly had securing fights, it remains to be seen whether such a switch would provide the level of activity that the undefeated 26-year-old is after.
While the year was far from smooth for the Professional Fighters League (PFL), its events still had plenty of memorable moments. 2024 marked the first year of PFL action post-acquisition of the Bellator MMA brand. Unfortunately, canceled events and disgruntled fighters have largely dominated headlines for the promotion, with champions Patricio Pitbull and Patchy Mix […]
While the year was far from smooth for the Professional Fighters League (PFL), its events still had plenty of memorable moments.
But as the organization battles issues away from the cage, the action inside it has still often delivered, with 2024 seeing some of the promotion’s most brutal finishes to date.
And the PFL recently counted down the top 15 in a YouTube video, featuring Francis Ngannou’s rapid knockout of Renan Ferreira in his MMA return and Dakota Ditcheva’s punishing attack on Taila Santos’ body in their flyweight title clash.
2025 will no doubt see plenty more memorable finishes added to the PFL’s highlight packages, with the first opportunity for additions coming on Jan. 25 in Dubai.
Dakota Ditcheva was one of the stand out stars of 2024, as seen in MMA News’ end of year awards. The female fighter of the year achieved incredible things in the PFL to prove once and for all that she is the real deal. The devastating striker has had clear star potential ever since she […]
Dakota Ditcheva was one of the stand out stars of 2024, as seen in MMA News’ end of year awards. The female fighter of the year achieved incredible things in the PFL to prove once and for all that she is the real deal.
Rousey’s personality and success inside the Octagon brought a new spotlight to the female side of the sport as she transcended MMA to become a mainstream sports star. Given Ditcheva’s star quality and proven capabilities inside the cage, the Brit could be heading the same way.
In a recent interview with Bloody Elbow, PFL commentator Dan Hardy spoke about what he believes is the key difference between Ditcheva and “Rowdy”. “The Outlaw” thinks that whilst both women have specialist skill sets to some degree, the reigning PFL flyweight champion has shown that she can do everything when she needs to.
“Ronda was a pioneer in martial arts, women’s martial arts in particular, but the reason why she was so effective is because she was particularly overwhelming in one range, right? Like, she came in, she grabbed a hold of somebody, threw them to the floor, and wrenched their arm off. Whereas Dakota, over the last two years, has also shown that she’s a fully well-rounded MMA fighter.”
Her performance in the finals where she dismantled Taila Santos before stopping her in the second round was proof of this. Rousey was able to run right through the opposition that was put in front of her as well until all of a sudden, the sport had moved on. For Ditcheva, she has proven this year that she’s far more well-rounded than the former face of women’s MMA.
“I think that’s another thing that gives people a lot of confidence that she could compete with anyone in the world. She can grapple and stay safe if she hits the floor with a world-class jiu-jitsu player. And her takedown defense coupled with those Muay Thai knees could put anybody away. And she’s also got the frame that’s perfect for this weight class. I could make the argument right now that she could beat anybody in this weight class on the planet.”
Dakota Ditcheva’s 2024 will be remembered as a historic year for one of women’s MMA’s most impressive talents. The…
Dakota Ditcheva’s 2024 will be remembered as a historic year for one of women’s MMA’s most impressive talents. The 26-year-old British fighter solidified her place among the sport’s elite by claiming the PFL Women’s Flyweight World Championship in November, defeating former UFC contender Taila Santos via second-round TKO. The first to ever stop Santos.
Female Fighter of the Year – LowKick MMA 2024 Awards – Dakota Ditcheva
Dakota Ditcheva’s victory was historic, making her the youngest PFL world champion at just 26 years and 4 months old. She also became the first fighter to win both a PFL regional title, securing the 2023 PFL Europe crown, and a PFL World Title. Winning all of these matchups by way of KO/TKO. She grew up training Muay Thai and kickboxing from her mother, Lisa Howarth, who herself was a world champion in Muay Thai, Kickboxing, and Karate.
Her championship campaign in 2024 was nothing short of dominant. Dakota Ditcheva’s path to gold included wins over Lisa Mauldin, Chelsea Hackett, and Jena Bishop, winning most of these by knockout. The final victory against Santos stood out as particularly impressive, as Ditcheva became the first fighter to finish the durable Brazilian veteran.
‘Dangerous’ Ditcheva has lived up to her moniker, extending her undefeated record to 14-0, with an astonishing 12 wins by knockout.
Ditcheva began her combat sports journey at just four years old and went on to win gold at the 2016 IFMA Muay Thai World Championships as an amateur. Training out of Manchester Top Team and supplementing her preparation with stints at American Top Team in Florida, Ditcheva has benefited from world-class coaching and training partners. Her rapid ascent in the PFL has drawn comparisons to the sport’s biggest stars, such as Ronda Rousey.
For now, Ditcheva remains the crown jewel of the PFL. Her 2024 campaign cemented her status as a legitimate world-class fighter. If this year is any indication, the future is exceedingly bright for the British phenom. Which is why she has been chosen as the Female Fighter of the Year in 2024 by LowKick MMA.
Dakota Ditcheva’s 2024 will be remembered as a historic year for one of women’s MMA’s most impressive talents. The…
Dakota Ditcheva’s 2024 will be remembered as a historic year for one of women’s MMA’s most impressive talents. The 26-year-old British fighter solidified her place among the sport’s elite by claiming the PFL Women’s Flyweight World Championship in November, defeating former UFC contender Taila Santos via second-round TKO. The first to ever stop Santos.
Female Fighter of the Year – LowKick MMA 2024 Awards – Dakota Ditcheva
Dakota Ditcheva’s victory was historic, making her the youngest PFL world champion at just 26 years and 4 months old. She also became the first fighter to win both a PFL regional title, securing the 2023 PFL Europe crown, and a PFL World Title. Winning all of these matchups by way of KO/TKO. She grew up training Muay Thai and kickboxing from her mother, Lisa Howarth, who herself was a world champion in Muay Thai, Kickboxing, and Karate.
Her championship campaign in 2024 was nothing short of dominant. Dakota Ditcheva’s path to gold included wins over Lisa Mauldin, Chelsea Hackett, and Jena Bishop, winning most of these by knockout. The final victory against Santos stood out as particularly impressive, as Ditcheva became the first fighter to finish the durable Brazilian veteran.
‘Dangerous’ Ditcheva has lived up to her moniker, extending her undefeated record to 14-0, with an astonishing 12 wins by knockout.
Ditcheva began her combat sports journey at just four years old and went on to win gold at the 2016 IFMA Muay Thai World Championships as an amateur. Training out of Manchester Top Team and supplementing her preparation with stints at American Top Team in Florida, Ditcheva has benefited from world-class coaching and training partners. Her rapid ascent in the PFL has drawn comparisons to the sport’s biggest stars, such as Ronda Rousey.
For now, Ditcheva remains the crown jewel of the PFL. Her 2024 campaign cemented her status as a legitimate world-class fighter. If this year is any indication, the future is exceedingly bright for the British phenom. Which is why she has been chosen as the Female Fighter of the Year in 2024 by LowKick MMA.
The major MMA promotions have wrapped up their schedules for 2024, so it’s time to crown this year’s MMA News award winners. Getting the ball rolling will be the Female Fighter of the Year, as we determine which woman among the UFC, PFL, and ONE Championship rosters stood out from the rest in 2024. Voting […]
The major MMA promotions have wrapped up their schedules for 2024, so it’s time to crown this year’s MMA News award winners.
Getting the ball rolling will be the Female Fighter of the Year, as we determine which woman among the UFC, PFL, and ONE Championship rosters stood out from the rest in 2024.
Voting Panel:
Harvey Leonard, Kyle Dimond, Andrew Starc, Thomas Albano, Ryan Jarrell, Andrew Ravens
Honorable Mentions:
8. Zhang Weili – UFC strawweight champion
7. Natália Silva – UFC flyweight contender
6. Virna Jandiroba – UFC strawweight contender
Now, on to the five female fighters who received the most votes for this year’s award, including the 2024 winner.
5. Jasmine Jasudavicius – UFC Flyweight Contender
2024 marked flyweight Jasmine Jasudavicius’ third calendar year competing under the UFC banner, and it was by far her best.
After going 1-1 in 2022 and 2-1 in 2023, the Canadian standout enjoyed an unbeaten 3-0 year in the Octagon. After initially bouncing back from her setback against Tracy Cortez by submitting Priscila Cachoeira on home soil this past January, the 35-year-old outpointed highly regarded debutant Fatima Kline in Colorado before getting another finish in front of her compatriots at the expense of Ariane Lipski da Silva.
Having risen to #12 in the rankings with three straight wins, two of which earned her Performance of the Night bonuses, Jasudavicius has earned fifth place in this year’s MMA News award.
MMA legend Cris Cyborg marks one of two fighters to crack the top five with just one fight in 2024.
The former UFC featherweight queen and current Bellator champion spent much of this year expressing discontent at her struggle to secure a debut in the PFL. But that finally came to fruition at the Battle of the Giants pay-per-view in October, where she competed for the inaugural PFL Super Fights featherweight belt against the promotion’s first and only two-weight title winner, Larissa Pacheco.
The 39-year-old showed that she’s got plenty left in the tank, emerging victorious from a brutal five-round battle. In doing so, Cyborg ended Pacheco’s 10-fight win streak, which included a victory over Kayla Harrison and consecutive PFL season triumphs at 155 and 145 pounds.
Image: Jose Peñuela/PFL MMA
3. Valentina Shevchenko – UFC Flyweight Champion
Like Cyborg, another all-time MMA great in Valentina Shevchenko also delivered in a big way with her sole appearance in the cage this year.
After a defeat and draw against Alexa Grasso in 2023, many had written off “Bullet’s” chances of returning to the flyweight throne when she and the Mexican completed their trilogy at Noche UFC inside the Sphere this past September. But more than just proving her detractors wrong, Shevchenko utterly dominated Grasso across five rounds to begin a second reign at 125 pounds.
The top UFC fighter in the 2024 award is Kayla Harrison, whose debut year on MMA’s biggest stage couldn’t have gone much better.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist in Judo swapped the PFL for the UFC, arriving in the Octagon for the first time at the milestone UFC 300 event this past April. The 2019 and 2021 PFL title winner was tasked with beating Holly Holm if she was to immediately stake her claim for a bantamweight title shot.
More than just beat the former champion, Harrison ran through her en route to finding the submission finish in round two. And after missing out on the next opportunity at the gold, the Ohio native extended her UFC record to 2-0 by outpointing another top-five contender in Ketlen Vieira.
The rise of Dakota Ditcheva has been quite something, and 2024 saw her break through on the global stage.
After going 3-0 in 2023 to achieve regional title glory under the PFL Europe banner, the British striking specialist set her sights on emerging victorious from the PFL’s inaugural flyweight season. With the likes of Liz Carmouche and Taila Santos on the roster, the year promised to provide answers to those who questioned Ditcheva based on her level of competition.
Through the regular season and semifinal, “Dangerous” dispatched Lisa Mauldin, Chelsea Hackett, and Jena Bishop with first-round finishes. Her journey to the championship final in Riyadh last month only boosted the hype — but it increased dramatically when she entered the cage on Nov. 29.
To secure gold and $1 million in prize money, Ditcheva had to get the better of Santos, a longtime top-five contender in the UFC whom many believe deserved the nod over Shevchenko in their 2022 title fight. The undefeated 26-year-old passed the test with flying colors, dominating the Brazilian before blitzing her with body shots in round two for the finish.
With a 4-0 year to capture another PFL title and establish herself as one of the world’s best in MMA at 125 pounds, top spot was only ever going to “Dangerous” Dakota Ditcheva in 2024.
Dakota Ditcheva’s 2024 will be remembered as a historic year for one of women’s MMA’s most impressive talents. The…
