Dakota Ditcheva answers calls to mimic teammate Kayla Harrison’s UFC move after PFL World Championship victory

PFL star Dakota Ditcheva could potentially follow in her teammate Kayla Harrison's footsteps and eventually move from the SmartCage to the UFC Octagon.

Dakota Ditcheva continued her rise as the face of the PFL by finishing Taila Santos at the 2024 PFL World Championship in Riyadh last weekend. She won the PFL women's flyweight title and the $1 million prize, cementing herself as a superstar in the competition.

After adding another win to her record, many fans and analysts began speculating how Ditcheva would look against the flyweight elite in the UFC. Her high-level attack would create potential clashes with Valentina Shevchenko and Manon Fiorot fan-friendly ventures.

But Ditcheva is still relatively young in her MMA career, despite the immense hype surrounding herself. Her star power is already drawing comparisons to Kayla Harrison, her American Top Team teammate and longtime face of the competition.

After Harrison left for the UFC earlier this year, many are wondering when Ditcheva's PFL tenure will come to an end, especially as her stock continues to rise. A potential future issue is the PFL's lack of new competition in women's flyweight heading into 2025.

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Dakota Ditcheva addresses PFL future amid UFC move speculation

In a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Ditcheva clarified her PFL future and answered calls for her to follow Harrison to the UFC.

“No one will be satisfied. the next thing now is: 'Oh, but she won't face Shevchenko…would she hit her?', I expected it,' Ditcheva said. “I am locked in with PFL and I will definitely fight for PFL next year. Must defend [the title]I'm not about to give up that belt just yet. I'm only 26 and I have so much more to give to PFL and hopefully we'll come up with a super one [fight] next year.

“Another tournament, or big fights… I would just do the season because I really enjoyed it. By fighting that way regularly, I felt myself getting stronger all year round. But I just feel like the only other person is Liz Carmouche… I'm not really interested in going down [in competition]I have to move up, I want that competition and fighting against elite people. I feel like fighting in a big super fight would give me more advantage. Would people want to see me in the tournament fighting the same girls again? I'm not sure people would be happy with that.”

Aside from Ditcheva, Cris Cyborg and Larissa Pacheco are the two biggest female names on the current PFL roster, but she would have to move up in weight to make those clashes possible. Cyborg is also nearing retirement after a long, distinguished career in the cage.

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Kayla Harrison's PFL relationship broke after signing with UFC

If/when Ditcheva leaves the PFL for other destinations, she hopes to leave on a warmer note than Harrison. Since her UFC debut in April, Harrison has been a frequent target of PFL founder Donn Davis in the media, accusing her of avoiding big-name fights with Cyborg and others.

Before heading to the UFC, Harrison was a homegrown PFL superstar, holding two championship titles and a string of impressive wins. A loss to Pacheco at the 2022 PFL Championship snapped a 15-fight undefeated streak.

Ditcheva and Harrison are undoubtedly two of the best female fighters in the world, and comparisons between them have some merit. Only time will tell if Ditcheva will ultimately sign with the UFC or stay aboard the PFL's growing platform.

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