Dakota Ditcheva has arguably become the face of the PFL, but with that level of celebrity comes scrutiny, whether it’s valid or not.
Originally scheduled to compete in February after recovering from an injury, Ditcheva was supposed to face Bellator veteran Denise Kielholtz, which wasn’t exactly on the top of anybody’s wish list with-top ranked flyweight contender Liz Carmouche lingering out there as the biggest and best possible challenger. Sadly, Ditcheva suffered another injury that delayed her comeback
until Friday’s PFL event in New York where she’s once again matched up against Kielholtz rather than Carmouche.
But Ditcheva makes it clear that just like when she was fighting in February, she didn’t ask for anybody specifically as an opponent and she refutes any criticism that she’s getting special treatment due to her growing popularity.
“I didn’t choose this,” Ditcheva told MMA Fighting. “PFL came to me and said ‘do you want to fight Denise?’ People talk about me being this golden child and the diva of the division type of thing. I don’t ever pick my opponents. I let PFL come to me with whoever they want to put me against and I think they felt like Denise made sense. The whole division has been busy without me. There’s a lot of new girls in the division now. I had to fit in with them. I can’t be out for a year and then come back and say I want this and this and this.
“I just came back and said I’m ready to fight, they said let’s give Denise the fight she was promised. She won her fight in Dubai so it makes sense and that’s just what I went with. If they gave me anyone else, I would have been like OK. I just fight whoever they give me.”
When it comes to a potential showdown against Carmouche in the future, Ditcheva openly admits that’s the ideal matchup for the flyweight division, especially if a championship is involved.
That said, Ditcheva scoffed at the idea that she’s avoiding Carmouche or that the PFL is protecting her from a fight she’s somehow destined to lose.
“Liz has had her comments but if we end up fighting, we end up fighting,” Ditcheva said. “That’s not something I’m avoiding at all. If that’s the fight that’s made next, that’s the fight you will see.
“As regards to the belt, no one’s got the belt yet and I am not bothered if I fight for it or not. Because as long as I beat whoever they give me and I’m sat at the top, I don’t really care. I would fight Liz for no belt as long as I’m fighting for my No. 1 spot. I feel like my No. 1 spot is more important than the belt for me.”
Ditcheva admits trash talking has never been her thing so she didn’t really pay too much attention to anything that Carmouche has said during her absence.
But Ditcheva has heard past opponents say plenty of crazy things trying to get under her skin and thus far nobody has been remotely successful. She doesn’t expect that to change for Carmouche or anybody else for that matter.
“It just sounds so familiar to everyone else,” Ditcheva said. “At this point, I’m just like I’m sure Liz is a really nice lady. But I’m not bothered by the whole trash talk thing. I’m not bothered about speaking bad on Liz.
“Props to her. Great fighter. If we end up fighting, we end up fighting but until then you’re not getting any air time out of me.”
