Sitting in first place overall in the PFL women’s flyweight standings, Dakota Ditcheva anchored the co-main event opposite Chelsea Hackett at the 2024 PFL 4 card in Uncasville, CT on Thursday.
While much had been made of Ditcheva drawing the #7 seed in Hackett while Taila Santos and Jena Bishop, #2 and #3 respectively, faced one another, at the end of the day, it wasn’t Ditcheva who was the matchmaker.
Hackett opened Thursday’s co-main event with a front kick, but it was a right hand from Ditcheva that caused the crowd to explode. The blow dropped Hackett, who went into survival mode and scrambled back. Ditcheva clinched up along the fence, and Hackett was able to reverse.
Back at center about a minute later, Ditcheva again displayed her advantage on the feet. Again, she’d end up putting Hackett on the fence, teeing off with knees and body shots, lefts and rights, that Hackett could not defend! After eating five or six very nasty punches that just added on top of the knees, Hackett dropped down off a left hand to the midsection, unable to defend intelligently, and the ref moved in for the save.
SHE'S NUMBER 1⃣ (seed) ! Dakota Ditcheva is going to Nashville for the #PFLPlayoffs#PFLRegularSeason LIVE NOW
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🌎 https://t.co/jPNvomCxHI pic.twitter.com/pPwaERMwpM— PFL (@PFLMMA) June 14, 2024
Another six points for Dakota Ditcheva, who secures the top spot overall and heads to the playoffs. She’ll face Jena Bishop next.
Official Result: Dakota Ditcheva def. Chelsea Hackett by TKO, Round 1, 3:22