Dakota Ditcheva enters 2026 with a heavy heart.
The PFL flyweight star was hoping to open the new year with a bang as she was scheduled to face Denise Kielholtz at PFL Dubai on Feb. 7, but the league announced
Tuesday that Ditcheva has been forced to withdraw from the contest due to an undisclosed injury.
On Wednesdsay, Ditcheva released a statement via Instagram, addressing the unfortunate news.
“I’m truly heartbroken I won’t be fighting on PFL Dubai anymore,” Ditcheva wrote. “I cried two days straight when I injured myself. Then cried again yesterday when it officially got announced. Dramatic I know, but I wanted nothing more than to fight on that card and have an early start to 2026.
“Only fighting once last year was a nightmare for me and I really wanted to make up for lost time. I live a great life but nothing makes me happier than being in that cage. However, that being said, I know it just WASN’T MEANT TO BE.”
See Ditcheva’s full post below.
“So sorry to [PFL] and my opponent and sorry to my friends, family and fans who were excited to see me back out there in February,” Ditcheva wrote. “I am healthy and healing, I will be back before you know it.”
Ditcheva has been one of PFL’s breakout stars since debuting with the organization in 2022. She dominated the league’s flyweight division, racking up a series of fast finishes and winning a PFL Europe tournament, culminating in a PFL Championship Tournament win in 2024 that also earned her a cool $1,000,000.
In her most recent outing this past July, Ditcheva won a lopsided unanimous decision over Sumiko Inaba at PFL Africa to improve her pro record to 14-0.
It is not yet known if a a new opponent will be found for Kielholtz or if her bout with Ditcheva will be rescheduled for a later date.
