Don't Expect to See Dakota Ditcheva vs. Cris Cyborg

Dakota Ditcheva (15-0 MMA, 10-0 PFL) still has yet to make the first walk to the promotion's SmartCage in 2026. Last summer, she recorded her 15th consecutive victory as a professional with a unanimous decision victory over Sumiko Inaba (8-3 MMA, 1-2 PFL) in Cape Town, South Africa.

After that, she was slated to return to competition on the night of Feb. 7. Denise Kielholtze (9-5 MMA, 1-0 PFL) was to have served as Dakota Ditcheva's adversary for this planned women's flyweight contest during PFL Dubai. 

Prior to the contest taking place, however, Ditcheva was forced out of action due to sustaining a broken hand while in training camp for the bout in Dubai. In Ditcheva's stead that February weekend, Kielholtze was booked to fight Antonia Silvaneide (9-5 MMA, 0-1 PFL) at a contracted catchweight of 127 lbs after the latter weighed in one pound over the 126-lb nontitle maximum the day before. Kielholtze emerged victorious by unanimous decision.

Dakota Ditcheva Preparing for Nontitle Fight in July

Dakota Ditcheva and Denise Kielholtze are slated to do what they couldn't do in February this summer. On July 31, the PFL SmartCage touches down in Long Island for PFL New York.

The Ditcheva vs. Kielholtze pairing has been rescheduled for the Long Island event as a three-round contest at five minutes per round, serving as the co-main event of the evening inside UBS Arena in Belmont Park, NY. Recently, Ditcheva spoke with USA Today's MMA Junkie on the upcoming women's flyweight showcase and why it's not for a championship.

"I don't know why this isn't a title fight," Dakota Ditcheva began. "Obviously, Liz Carmouche won the tournament in 2025, so we're both tournament winners. I think everyone kind of wanted to see me and Liz face each other. Denise obviously sat out, she had a baby. I was supposed to fight her in February. Maybe if I'd fought her in February, I would have been one side of the title."

Dakota Ditcheva Clears Air on Absense From PFL World Tournament

In 2025, the PFL abandoned its classic format of a regular season and playoffs leading up to a championship card in favor of a World Tournament schedule. When the roster of competitors was announced for the 2025 PFL World Tournament in January of last year, Dakota Ditcheva's name was absent from the list.

Ditcheva, who claimed the PFL Women's Flyweight Championship in 2024, took time out to explain why she didn't appear in the World Tournament a year ago.

"I didn't choose not to do it," she said. "They didn't enter me in it. I wanted to do it. That wasn't a choice of mine, they just didn't put me in for the tournament. They ran it without me."

Dakota Ditcheva on Fight with Cris Cyborg

One of the biggest dream matchups for fans of MMA is a contest which would pair Dakota Ditcheva against Cris Cyborg (29-2, 1 NC MMA,) one of the sport's most-decorated fighters of all-time. While Cyborg challenged Ditcheva to a fight earlier on in 2026, the undefeated combatant isn't too enthusiastic about fighting her.

"Realistically, it's what matters to me," Dakota Ditcheva continued. "That's the way I look at it these days. Cyborg's got all of these belts and she's still calling me out. Everyone still wants to see that fight because it's never good enough for anybody. For me, I will just fight whoever's No. 1, whoever the top girl is, whoever PFL want to give me. I will just fight and prove myself that way."

Ditcheva mentioned that she's happy to just compete and get her hand raised in victory.

"The belt's good for sponsors, things like that," she said. "As for how you feel inside, I get the same level of satisfaction by winning my fight as I do for a belt."