PFL Finals: Dakota Ditcheva surprised at favourite tag before historic title bid
Dakota Ditcheva says she is surprised she is the favorite as she bids to become the first British woman to win a mixed martial arts world title.
Manchester’s Dicheva will face Brazil’s Talia Santos in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Friday for the Professional Boxing League (PFL) flyweight belt and $1 million (£789,000) prize money.
Unbeaten Dicheva, 26, is expected to end Britain’s wait for its first female world champion with a victory over former UFC flyweight title challenger Santos.
“I know who I’m up against, I’ve seen her in different promotions and I’ve been really impressed by her. I’m a little surprised, but I think people realize what I’m capable of now,” Dicheva explain.
There have been only five mixed martial arts world champions in British history, and all of them were men.
Michael Bisping (middleweight), Leon Edwards (welterweight) and Tom Aspinall (interim heavyweight) won the UFC title, while Liam McGeery (light-heavyweight) weight) is a former Bellator champion.
Meanwhile, Brendan Loughnane has a chance to become Britain’s first two-time MMA world champion when he takes on Russia’s Timur Khizriev in the featherweight main event. Win the PFL Championship in 2022.
“It’s going to be a big moment. I’m going to be PFL world champion and that’s going to be an amazing milestone for me,” Dicheva told PFL earlier.
“This is just the beginning, that’s why I say milestone. It’s just the beginning of an amazing journey for me.”
