Dakota Ditcheva wants to walk away from MMA before she can't let go

One of the biggest rising stars in women's combat sports, Dakota Ditcheva seems to be at the top of her game. Still undefeated in her professional MMA career, the British fighter won the 2024 PFL Women's Flyweight Tournament. However, despite all the success and being only 28 years old, Ditcheva has already started thinking about life after MMA. The PFL champion recently explained that she wants to leave the sport while she is still able to enjoy fighting, rather than reach a point where she competes simply because she cannot let go of her career.

Dakota Ditcheva Wants to Leave Fighting on Her Own Terms

Daughter of the multiple-time world kickboxing champion Lisa Howarth, Ditcheva grew up in a family of martial artists. Immersed in the sport since she was a child, "Dangerous" knows how difficult it can be for a fighter to know when to retire. Perhaps that's why she's already thinking about when her time will come to call it a career. Speaking to MMA Fighting, the British fighter has made it clear she intends to move on to other things when the time comes.

"I think that is what I've seen my whole life is fighters say 'you know I'm just fighting basically for the money now' or 'I'm fighting just because I can't let go of it'," Ditcheva said. "I don't want to be in a position where I can't let go of fighting. I want to be able to love other things at the same time. That's my goal."

Although Ditcheva has previously mentioned the possibility of retiring at 32 years old, she has now clarified that the number is not a fixed deadline. Instead, she wants to have a point in mind when she can move on to other experiences, including starting a family and having children.

Dakota Ditcheva Admits Fighters are Never Satisfied

Despite achieving great success in just over five years as a professional MMA fighter, Ditcheva acknowledges the difficult psychological relationship fighters can have with their careers. According to Dangerous, it is hard for fighters to feel satisfied with their achievements, and she herself felt that way after becoming a PFL champion.

"I feel like us as fighters are never satisfied," Ditcheva explained. "I felt it already winning a PFL world championship tournament. I thought I was going to be like 'Oh my God, I've got this crazy feeling like I've done it! I was over it in two days.' Our careers are always going to be like that. We're going to have this really big high and then it's like now what?"

For now, Ditcheva remains focused on her MMA career as she prepares to return to action Friday against Denise Kielholtz. However, the PFL champion is already thinking beyond her time in the sport and wants to make sure she can walk away while she still has other goals and interests outside fighting.