Tag: Taila Santos

Taila Santos, Liz Carmouche Feature In Lineup For PFL Women’s Flyweight World Tournament

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is continuing to roll out the rosters for eight “World Tournaments” set for 2025, with the latest release being the women’s flyweight lineup. Major change is coming to the PFL this year, with the promotion making the decision to eliminate the season and playoff format from its yearly structure. Replacing […]

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is continuing to roll out the rosters for eight “World Tournaments” set for 2025, with the latest release being the women’s flyweight lineup.

Major change is coming to the PFL this year, with the promotion making the decision to eliminate the season and playoff format from its yearly structure. Replacing that and the $1 million prize money will be Grand Prix-style tournaments across eight divisions, with the winners of each collecting $500,000.

After confirming the dates and venue for four events that will host first-round matchups earlier this month, the PFL has begun to announce the full rosters. Thus far, both the welterweight and featherweight lineups have been confirmed, with ex-Bellator champion Jason Jackson and undefeated Dagestani Movlid Khaybulaev marking the two standout names.

And this week, the rollouts continued with the eight women set to compete in the inaugural flyweight tournament. Among the most notable inclusions is Taila Santos, a former UFC title challenger who fell short of PFL glory in last year’s championship final opposite Dakota Ditcheva.

While the 2024 champ won’t be part of the tournament, a number of names from last year’s season will, including former Bellator titleholders Liz Carmouche and Juliana Velasquez.

See below for the full eight-woman roster for this year’s flyweight “World Tournament,” as announced by the PFL on social media.

  • Taila Santos (22-4)
  • Liz Carmouche (22-8)
  • Kana Watanabe (13-3-1)
  • Juliana Velasquez (13-3)
  • Jena Bishop (7-2)
  • Elora Dana (7-0)
  • Ilara Joanne (12-9)
  • Diana Avsaravoga (6-1)

Dakota Ditcheva Says Taila Santos’ Face Changed After One Leg Kick In PFL Title Fight: ‘She Underestimated Me’

2024 PFL Women’s Flyweight Champion Dakota Ditcheva was pleased to teach Taila Santos a lesson in not underestimating opponents. Ditcheva recorded the biggest win of her blossoming career to date in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia last month when she co-headlined this year’s PFL World Championship. The Brit figured in one of six title fights on the […]

2024 PFL Women’s Flyweight Champion Dakota Ditcheva was pleased to teach Taila Santos a lesson in not underestimating opponents.

Ditcheva recorded the biggest win of her blossoming career to date in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia last month when she co-headlined this year’s PFL World Championship.

The Brit figured in one of six title fights on the main card at King Saud University — and arguably the most highly anticipated — after winning gold in PFL Europe last year and announcing herself on the global roster with three knockouts en route to her toughest test to date.

Ditcheva’s detractors have long used competition level as a means by which to take away from her unbeaten run. But that is no longer viable after she dominated Santos, a former top UFC contender whom many believed did enough to defeat Valentina Shevchenko two years ago.

The Brazilian fell the same way as many have to “Dangerous,” being overwhelmed by her striking offense before succumbing to brutal body shots in round two.

During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Ditcheva looked back on her successful trip to the Middle East, which saw her exit the SmartCage on Nov. 19 with gold wrapped around her waist and $1 million in prize money secured.

The 26-year-old acknowledged Santos’ dismissive pre-fight remarks inside the cage during her celebration and interview. And reflecting on them once again, Ditcheva suggested the experienced Brazilian made the surprising and fatal mistake of failing to “respect” the threat she was facing.

“I think honestly she probably underestimated me a little bit,” Ditcheva said. “Like, she has been saying through the whole tournament, not just this fight, from the very beginning that I’m just a Barbie, she’s a different level. I genuinely don’t think she respected me at all and where me, I respected every girl in this tournament, whether they’ve been in the UFC or not.

“I think genuinely she got shocked when I hit her. As soon as I hit with the first inside leg kick, I saw her face change, and then every shot I hit her with, she was just like making noises like it was hurting,” Ditcheva continued. “I think she probably underestimated me, which is a silly move to do and something I’m surprised she did at her level.”

Suffice to say, the chances of Ditcheva’s future opponents making the same mistake have no doubt slimmed after the manner with which she dispatched Santos at the PFL World Championship.

For now, it remains to be seen who will be opposite the “Dangerous” Brit next time out — and in which of the PFL’s entities. Ditcheva has already expressed hesitancy when it comes to competing in a second season, with the pay-per-view Super Fights events seemingly on her radar instead.

Dakota Ditcheva Says She was Expecting More from Santos Due to Valentina Shevchenko

Dakota Ditcheva Says She was Expecting More from Santos Due to Valentina Shevchenko‘Dangerous’ Dakota Ditcheva just won the PFL world title by stunning knockout, stopping Taila Santos in the second round…

Dakota Ditcheva Says She was Expecting More from Santos Due to Valentina Shevchenko

‘Dangerous’ Dakota Ditcheva just won the PFL world title by stunning knockout, stopping Taila Santos in the second round in a dominant performance. Because of Valentina Shevchenko, Ditcheva thought Brazil’s Santos was going to bring more.

Dakota Ditcheva Knocks out Taila Santos

Three knockouts in a row are all the Bulgarian-Russian needed to capture a whopping $1,000,000 in the PFL capturing a world title for the 2024 season. In the finals, Dakota Ditcheva faced veteran athlete Taila Santos who got folded over in the second round.

dakota ditcheva

Brazil’s Taila Santos has defeated notable athletes such as Liz Carmouche, and Joanne Wood, among others. Valentina Shevchenko is a multi-time UFC champion with tons of title defenses to her name. In their five-round war with the UFC crown on the line, Santos nearly took the throne from ‘Bullet’ Shevchenko. Because of that match, Ditcheva thought Santos was going to have more.

dakota ditcheva pfl 1

Speaking in a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Ditcheva explained:

“I expected Taila Santos to bring a bit more because of her fight with Valentina Shevchenko. But I knew I’d get the stoppage in there.

“She’s never been stopped. Shevchenko didn’t stop her. People thought [Santos] beat [Shevchenko]… Erin Blanchfield went 5 rounds with her. I just got in there and made it look like another on the list.”

Ditcheva added that she has loads of respect for the skills and strength of Santos as well. The undefeated Ditcheva comes from a Muay Thai and Kickboxing background which was largely taught to her by her moth who was a champion in these striking sports. After this win, she is next looking to compete in the PFL in February.

Dakota Ditcheva Says She was Expecting More from Santos Due to Valentina Shevchenko

Dakota Ditcheva Says She was Expecting More from Santos Due to Valentina Shevchenko‘Dangerous’ Dakota Ditcheva just won the PFL world title by stunning knockout, stopping Taila Santos in the second round…

Dakota Ditcheva Says She was Expecting More from Santos Due to Valentina Shevchenko

‘Dangerous’ Dakota Ditcheva just won the PFL world title by stunning knockout, stopping Taila Santos in the second round in a dominant performance. Because of Valentina Shevchenko, Ditcheva thought Brazil’s Santos was going to bring more.

Dakota Ditcheva Knocks out Taila Santos

Three knockouts in a row are all the Bulgarian-Russian needed to capture a whopping $1,000,000 in the PFL capturing a world title for the 2024 season. In the finals, Dakota Ditcheva faced veteran athlete Taila Santos who got folded over in the second round.

dakota ditcheva

Brazil’s Taila Santos has defeated notable athletes such as Liz Carmouche, and Joanne Wood, among others. Valentina Shevchenko is a multi-time UFC champion with tons of title defenses to her name. In their five-round war with the UFC crown on the line, Santos nearly took the throne from ‘Bullet’ Shevchenko. Because of that match, Ditcheva thought Santos was going to have more.

dakota ditcheva pfl 1

Speaking in a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Ditcheva explained:

“I expected Taila Santos to bring a bit more because of her fight with Valentina Shevchenko. But I knew I’d get the stoppage in there.

“She’s never been stopped. Shevchenko didn’t stop her. People thought [Santos] beat [Shevchenko]… Erin Blanchfield went 5 rounds with her. I just got in there and made it look like another on the list.”

Ditcheva added that she has loads of respect for the skills and strength of Santos as well. The undefeated Ditcheva comes from a Muay Thai and Kickboxing background which was largely taught to her by her moth who was a champion in these striking sports. After this win, she is next looking to compete in the PFL in February.

Dakota Ditcheva Questions Quality of Competition in 2025 PFL Tournament: ‘I Just Beat the Top Girl’

Dakota Ditcheva Questions Quality of Competition in Future PFL Tournaments: 'I Just Beat the Top Girl'After smashing her way through Taila Santos at the PFL World Championship in Riyadh, Dakota Ditcheva can’t help but…

Dakota Ditcheva Questions Quality of Competition in Future PFL Tournaments: 'I Just Beat the Top Girl'

After smashing her way through Taila Santos at the PFL World Championship in Riyadh, Dakota Ditcheva can’t help but wonder what’s left for her to accomplish in 2025.

‘Dangerous’ ran the table during this year’s inaugural PFL women’s flyweight tournament, earning four straight finishes, including a second-round TKO against former UFC title challenger Taila Santos at the promotion’s final event of the year in Saudi Arabia.

Speaking with talkSPORT following her million-dollar victory, Ditcheva expressed some concern over potentially competing in next year’s tournament considering she’s already dispatched her toughest test.

“I don’t know, we haven’t spoken about it too much with PFL,” Ditcheva said when asked about her future. “I think it’s difficult because for me, I just beat the top girl that is out there. So, if you put me back in the tournament, I’m gonna get more stick for fighting the same girls and people that are lower level.

“So, does it make sense to do that with someone that’s like, I feel like I bring in a lot of attention and stuff like that, so I feel maybe a super fight might suit a little bit better, but then, is anyone going to watch the season without me in it? I don’t know. We’ll see what happens” (h/t MMA Mania).

Dakota Ditcheva could face the same struggle that Kayla Harrison did in the PFL

If the story sounds familiar, that’s probably because two-time PFL champion Kayla Harrison faced a similar struggle during her time with the organization. Harrison ran roughshod over much of the competition, leading many to criticize her for kicking around a bunch of cans rather than taking on the toughest fighters available.

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Hopefully, they will refrain from subjecting Ditcheva to a similar fate by signing some fresh talent to the flyweight pool ahead of next year’s tournament because, as it stands, there’s not much for Ditcheva or her fans to be excited about in 2025.

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‘Best WMMA Fighter In The World’ – Fans React As Dakota Ditcheva Batters Taila Santos To Win Inaugural PFL Flyweight Title

Dakota Ditcheva passed the toughest test of her career to date with flying colors to become the 2024 PFL flyweight champion, stopping Taila Santos in the second round. Many expected the former UFC title challenger to be a threat to the undefeated star in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but the fight was one-way traffic from start […]

Dakota Ditcheva passed the toughest test of her career to date with flying colors to become the 2024 PFL flyweight champion, stopping Taila Santos in the second round.

Many expected the former UFC title challenger to be a threat to the undefeated star in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but the fight was one-way traffic from start to finish.

It was clear right from the get-go that there was no comparison between them on the feet, with Ditcheva’s excellent striking causing damage to multiple targets and making her opponent bite on all of her feints.

The biggest takeaway in this fight was that when Santos was able to close the distance in order to test the Brit’s grappling, “Dangerous” was able to defend takedowns, keep herself safe, and get back to striking. She even took the Brazilian veteran down at one point before standing back up.

Santos looked to be hanging on at the end of the first round, and in the second, the champion picked up where she left off. After the damage started to add up, she put the stamp on her most impressive display to date by becoming the first woman to finish Santos.

Ditcheva didn’t just become the champion and win $1 million in this fight, she proved herself to be a legitimate world class competitor at flyweight. PFL strapped the rocket to the 25-year old, and it has more than paid off.

Fight fans reacted to her undeniable performance via social media: