MMA star Dakota Ditcheva reveals homecoming dream ahead of PFL Finals

The young Brit has taken the athletics by tempest since making her nonrecreational debut - with the 26-year-old present looking to go a satellite champion connected Friday nighttime and bring the loop location to Manchester

Rising PFL prima Dakota Ditcheva dreams of headlining a combat paper astatine the Etihad Stadium successful Manchester.

The 26-year-old has go 1 of the astir talked astir pistillate fighters successful the athletics since making her nonrecreational debut backmost successful 2021. A twelvemonth later, Ditcheva was speedy to burst onto the country and yet went connected to triumph the 2023 PFL Europe Women's Flyweight Tournament - knocking retired Valentina Scatizzi successful the archetypal circular successful Dublin.

Fast guardant different twelvemonth and the Manchester sensation is preparing to instrumentality connected the toughest trial of her vocation successful Taila Santos - a erstwhile UFC rubric challenger - successful the 2024 PFL Women's Flyweight Tournament Final. Ditcheva - who is yet to beryllium beaten wrong the cage - has lone gone the region oncer successful her vocation truthful far.

The flashy and energetic imaginable has produced galore highlight-reel finishes already. Despite each the nerves starring up to the fight, Ditcheva is hopeless to enactment connected a amusement and bring the rubric location to Manchester. Speaking to Mirror Fighting astatine the PFL World Championship 2024 media time up of Friday night, she said: "I'm decidedly excited and I'm decidedly a small spot nervous, of course. But that's mean for maine and I'm conscionable excited to yet fight. I've been present a week already truthful it's been a agelong time. I consciousness similar it's been dragging along. I'm excited to get the triumph and instrumentality the loop backmost location to Manny!"

Santos - who went toe-to-toe with existent UFC champion Valentina Shevchenko 2 years agone - made her debut 8 years earlier her upcoming hostile competed successful her archetypal nonrecreational bout. Despite the quality successful presumption of experience, Ditcheva claims she sees a fewer holes successful the Brazilian's crippled up of their flyweight clash.

"We've decidedly each got holes successful our game, truthful I've decidedly spotted a fewer out," she said. "She's ne'er been stopped, she's tough. She ever goes the 3 rounds, the 5 rounds, but astatine the aforesaid time, I besides get the highlight-reels. You ne'er cognize what's going to hap here, but similar I ever say, I'm ever prepared for a pugnacious fight, but erstwhile I get successful there, it's each guns blazing for me. Maybe I'll propulsion thing retired of the container that we've ne'er seen earlier against her."

An avid Manchester City fan, the 26-year-old Brit has revealed she 1 time hopes to header a paper astatine the Etihad Stadium successful beforehand of a packed assemblage successful her location city. A triumph connected Friday nighttime volition nary uncertainty boost her superstar presumption arsenic good arsenic her chances of warring astatine the celebrated shot stadium. "I mean, being world champion is thing that I won't beryllium amazed astir arsenic I've envisioned it for a agelong clip and I benignant of cognize wherever I'm going successful this sport," she said.

"The lone different happening I'm going to accidental is 2 Manchester radical headlining the card... we request a Manchester paper precise soon. I consciousness precise privileged and arsenic a pistillate arsenic good to co-main shows however overmuch I'm doing arsenic well." She added: "That would beryllium an implicit dream. Like I said, I envisioned being a satellite champion and I envisage warring astatine the Etihad truthful I'm definite it'll hap 1 time for sure."

Ditcheva has the accidental to go a millionaire aboriginal this week and pouch a life-changing payday. While galore would stay tight-lipped astir however they'd walk the $1million, the assured Brit has revealed what she volition bash with the whopping sum. "I've got a fewer plans," she concluded. "I haven't truly talked astir it excessively overmuch but I privation to beryllium sensible with it for definite and invest. I'd similar to dispersed it retired betwixt the household arsenic well, I couldn't bash this without them arsenic good truthful I've decidedly got a fewer things. There'll decidedly beryllium a buying travel arsenic well!"

Fans tin ticker Brendan Loughnane astatine the PFL World Championship 2024 and vie for the PFL Featherweight World Championship connected November 29 successful the UK unrecorded connected DAZN.