Dakota Ditcheva has achieved a historic milestone, becoming the first British woman to hold a world title in mixed martial arts.
The 26-year-old, known for her Muay Thai skills, extended her undefeated record to 14-0 with a decisive victory over former UFC title challenger Taila Santos in Riyadh. This win secured her the Professional Fighters League (PFL) flyweight championship.
Ditcheva finished the fight in the second round with powerful body shots, marking her 13th stoppage victory. Santos, a world-class competitor, suffered only her fourth career loss in 26 fights and her first loss outside of the UFC.
Santos attempted to use her grappling skills to slow down Ditcheva, who is from Sale. However, Ditcheva`s striking ability proved too dominant. She effectively used knees and kicks in the early stages, followed by elbows and body shots, living up to her “Dangerous” nickname. Ditcheva strategically chose her strikes and had already weakened her opponent significantly before the fight was stopped.
After her victory, Ditcheva expressed satisfaction in defeating Santos, who had made negative comments leading up to the fight.
“She`s a tough girl, but I was confident in my abilities,” Ditcheva stated. “She called me `just a Barbie, who should be a model`.”
“Well, a model just beat you in round two, so shut up.”
With this victory, Ditcheva earned $1 million in prize money (£785,361) and believes she has defeated the best possible opponent in the PFL.
“I`ve been telling everyone, I keep proving them wrong,” Ditcheva added.
“The world is mine. I just defeated the best fighter out there. PFL and I will create more amazing things in the future.”
However, it was a less successful night for fellow British fighter Brendan Loughnane, who fought in the main event after Ditcheva`s victory.
Loughnane was defeated by unanimous decision against Timur Khizriev of Russia in his attempt to win the PFL featherweight world title for a second time.
