1. Dakota Ditcheva Seeks Bow to Put on Career Year
The obvious new face of the PFL, or as this writer once put “the most popular girl at PFL High,” Dakota Ditcheva has become the PFL’s centerpiece in a year that saw the integration of several big name additions.
Last year, “Dangerous” made her way through the smaller PFL Europe tournament and quickly made a name for herself for her combination of exciting style and now signature charm. But in 2024, she took a big step up in becoming a part of the mainline PFL tournament that saw the integration of the Bellator flyweight division along with other drafted veterans from around the world.
If the pressure was a lot to her, she didn’t show it as she scored impressive finishes and tore through the competition. Along the way, she became the focal point of the PFL’s promotional efforts and was signed to her own deals with company sponsors Bose and Celsius. She also became a featured guest when she wasn’t in competition, being invited as a guest fighter at events and becoming a part of the Battle of Giants press conference that featured the likes of Jake Paul and Francis Ngannou.
But while she’s enjoyed a storybook year so far, she must still deliver against her toughest test to date. Former UFC title challenger Taila Santos remains a highly regarded threat in any promotion and she only reasserted her abilities in 2024 by going through the competition and dispatching Bellator flyweight champion Liz Carmouche to reach the final. Stylistically a stronger grappler than striker, Santos is arguably the most difficult opponent on paper for the skills of Ditcheva.
But if the Manchester native is able to continue her run, one can only imagine what kind of commodity she will be in 2025 for the PFL and beyond.
