Dakota Ditcheva is back! It’s the news that fans around the world wanted to hear. The woman who is possibly the best flyweight on the planet returns on February 7th in Dubai. Standing across from her this time will be Denise Kielholtz, who holds an 8-5 record.
As per the PFL:
“Undefeated Ditcheva will fight in Dubai for the first time ever as she returns to action following her three round domination over Sumiko Inaba in Cape Town in July 2025, where she rallied to victory despite suffering a broken hand during the fight, showcasing her durability and grit. “Dangerous” remains one of the most dynamic and dominant female mixed martial artists in the world, who won the 2023 PFL Europe Tournament and the 2024 PFL World Tournament, and boasts 13 finishes in 15 professional fights with an incredible highlight reel of finishes thanks to her Muay Thai background. She will look to return to her finishing ways at PFL: Road to Dubai on Saturday 7 February.
Kielholtz will stand across the cage as a willing participant in the striking department given her pedigree as a hugely decorated Dutch kickboxer and former Bellator Kickboxing World Champion. With years spent honing her craft of striking in Amsterdam, she has also earned a black belt in Judo, giving her the confidence on the feet and in the grappling exchanges. “Miss Dynamite” will look to seize the opportunity and catapult her name into the spotlight by taking away Ditcheva’s undefeated record in Dubai.”
Is Kielhotlz the Correct Opponent for Dakota Ditcheva?
In a word – no. Kielhotlz is 8-5. Ditcheva is 15-0. Kielholtz hasn’t competed since 2023 and at 36 is on the way towards retirement. In addition to this, she’s 2-3 in her last five. The odds aren’t out for this one yet, but expect Ditcheva to be the biggest favourite on the card.
Where is the Liz Carmouche fight? The two women have been on a collision course. Ditcheva won the 2023 PFL Europe tournament as well as the 2024 PFL flyweight tournament. Carmouche won the 2025 tournament. Who’s better? Who knows. On paper, Ditcheva is better. She’s younger, undefeated and has been on a tear. Carmouche, however, is far more experienced, having competed in MMA since 2010. Why hasn’t that fight been made yet? We don’t know.
Being Held Back?
Where’s the competition for Ditcheva in the PFL? There is no one (other than Carmouche) who is on Ditcheva’s level. Paulina Wisniewska is the closest to Ditcheva at 6-0 and if she can progress to 7-0 by the end of 2025, that a fight that could be made.
There’s a reason that Ditcheva is ranked #10 on the Tapology rankings. She’s elite. With that being said, we know that iron sharpens iron. The better the opponent, the more likely Ditcheva is to level up, improve her game and prove to everyone that she is the best of the best.
In the PFL at the moment, they aren’t providing her with the platform to do this. The level of opponents doesn’t exist in the PFL for her to truly prove to everyone how good she is.
After the Kielholtz fight in Dubai, Dakota Ditcheva has to really consider her future. Does she need to part ways with the PFL, join the UFC and show everyone how good she is at the elite level? If not, she could become a great ‘what if‘ in MMA…
