Dakota Ditcheva has achieved a historic milestone, becoming the first British woman to win a world championship title in mixed martial arts.
The 26-year-old Muay Thai expert extended her perfect professional record to 14 wins and 0 losses by impressively stopping former UFC title challenger Taila Santos in Riyadh. This decisive victory secured Ditcheva the Professional Fighters League (PFL) flyweight championship.
Ditcheva finished the contest in the second round with a series of powerful body shots, marking her 13th career win by stoppage. Her opponent, Taila Santos, a highly-regarded fighter, suffered only her fourth loss in 26 professional bouts and her first outside the UFC organization.
Santos attempted to use her grappling to slow down the fighter from Sale, but Ditcheva`s striking proved too strong. Early in the fight, she effectively landed knees and kicks before delivering a barrage of elbows and body shots. This performance certainly reinforced her nickname, “Dangerous.” The British fighter selected her strikes effectively and had already overwhelmed her opponent by the time the referee stopped the match.
Afterwards, Ditcheva admitted she felt particular satisfaction with the win, especially after Santos had made insulting comments about her before the fight.
“She`s a tough fighter, but I knew my capabilities,” Ditcheva commented. “She kept saying I was just a Barbie and should be a model.”
“Well, that `model` just defeated you in the second round, so maybe she should keep quiet now.”
With the victory, Ditcheva earned a $1 million prize (approximately £785,361). She stated her belief that she had defeated the strongest competitor currently in the PFL.
Ditcheva added, “I`ve been telling everyone, I`ve tried to explain, I just keep proving the doubters wrong.”
“The world is mine now,” she declared. “I just defeated the top fighter available. The PFL and I will collaborate on something incredible again.”
However, the news was less positive for fellow British fighter Brendan Loughnane, who competed in the main event after Ditcheva`s win.
Loughnane lost his fight via unanimous decision to Russia`s Timur Khizriev. He was attempting to secure the PFL featherweight world title for a second time.
