PFL star reveals plans for $1m shopping spree if she maintains stunning win streak against unbeaten former UFC fighter
Dakota Ditcheva has revealed plans for a big shopping spree should she win her PFL finale bout.
Ditcheva puts her undefeated MMA record on the line in Saudi Arabia for the 2024 PFL Women’s Flyweight Tournament final against former UFC title fighter Taila Santos on Friday.
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‘Dangerous’ blasted out Jena Bishop in her last octagon appearance in August to record another first-round stoppage and book her place in Friday night's final.
The 26-year-old from Sale, Greater Manchester, is now 13-0 as a professional MMA fighter and has gone eight wins straight in the PFL, with all of those fights ending inside the distance.
PFL’s Saudi Arabia card will see the finale of the playoffs for all weight divisions, with the winners each getting a $1 million cash prize.
Fellow Brit, Brendan Loughnane, who won the featherweight tournament in 2022, headlines the bill as he takes on Russia’s Timur Khizriev.
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“I will definitely go on a shopping spree for sure,” Ditcheva told ahead of her highly anticipated bout.
“I’ve planned out a few things. I want to make sure I get into property, or you know a few sensible things.
“But there’ll definitely be a shopping spree right in the middle of it all.”
Santos is arguably the Manchester native’s toughest fight to date.
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She has previously fought MMA’s biggest stars, including Molly McCann, Erin Blanchfield and current UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko.
The 31-year-old Brazilian contested for UFC flyweight gold against Shevchenko only two years ago, before going unbeaten in the PFL as she now prepares for her 26th pro bout.
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Santos beat women’s MMA pioneer Liz Carmouche via unanimous decision in the other semi-final bout to earn her spot in the finale.
Ditcheva was asked about her Brazilian counterpart and had no doubts regarding the class of opponent she will share the cage with.
“Definitely [my toughest test] and the most experienced,” she added.
"The one with the most accolades and the one that people talk about the most, so I'm excited.
“She's somebody that I watched in the UFC when she was fighting there. So I know how good she is. I was impressed by her then.
“But I'm just excited now to be on the same level. I don't see her as better than me. I feel like I'm ready to kind of get in there with her and put on a good fight.
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“This is a brilliant test to see where I'm at. I feel like I've run through these girls in this tournament.
“Now I've just got to go in and do the same with her. Then there's no denying that I'm getting better every time and I'm at that level.”
Before transitioning to MMA in 2021, Ditcheva was a decorated Muay Thai fighter, following in the footsteps of her mother, Lisa Howarth, who was a multiple-time kickboxing world champion.
Now, she remains one of PFL’s most popular fighters and will be more than ready for the biggest test of her career, having already been in a similar position before.
She won the 2023 PFL Europe Women’s flyweight tournament at the back end of last year by stopping Valentinca Scatizzi.
YouTuber-turned-professional boxer Jake Paul, who is also signed to the PFL, is fully on board with the Ditcheva hype train.
“The next MMA superstar…Dakota Ditcheva,” he said, after she was victorious against Chelsea Hackett at PFL 4 in June this year.
And this is fully justified, as only one of Ditcheva’s 13 opponents—Paula Cristina, who fell to a unanimous decision defeat in March 2022—has heard the sound of the final bell.
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Therefore, it wouldn’t necessarily be a bold prediction to expect a knockout on Friday night.
Ditcheva went on to add how victory over Santos would be ‘the top thing’ of her career as the 26-year-old aims to cement herself as one of MMA's all-time greats.
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