Dakota Ditcheva: 2023’s UK MMA Female Fighter Of The Year

Even before a single punch had been thrown in 2023, the VMTV team had a strong feeling about this award. A feeling that it was going to take some stand-out year from another UK female to prevent Dakota Ditcheva from winning this award in back-to-back years. In the end, Ditcheva took the award into her own hands by upping her level once again and producing some of the best performances of her career to win the PFL Europe flyweight tournament. 

From the moment that the brackets were drawn up for the flyweight tournament, no one was under any illusion that the Manchester Top Team fighter wasn’t the clear favourite to end the year on top. That being said, the tournament also saw some big upsets in other weight classes but no one came close to taking out the 25-year old. Three fights, three wins and three finishes saw her end the year with her perfect record of 10-0 still intact. 

What may have gone slightly under the radar is the fact that this year, Ditcheva secured the first submission win of her career. Her striking pedigree is no longer one of the best kept secrets in UK MMA thanks to her performances on some big PFL events in 2022. However, Her rear-naked choke finish over Malin Hermansson showcased her evolution as a martial artist which we don’t always get to see because of how effective her stand-up skills are. 

Speaking of effective striking, Ditcheva’s displays in the final and semi-final match-ups were two of the best performances of the entire year. Both the ruthless combination that she stopped Cornelia Holm with and the absolute barrage that Valentina Scatizzi found herself on the wrong end of were simultaneously beautiful and devastating to watch. Ditcheva is one of the best female strikers in MMA today but her ability to shut opponents out and stop them is what really stands out this year. Creativity, speed, power, accuracy, eye for a finish, she’s got it all in spades. 

Ditcheva has also seemingly benefitted massively from being a flag bearer of PFL Europe. Her profile has grown steadily throughout the year, from mimicking Erling Haaland’s celebration to becoming a regular fixture on the social media channels of her beloved Manchester City. If it was your first time tuning in to watch her fight, the walk out at the 3Arena in Dublin would’ve screamed star potential from the jump. 

Now that she has graduated from the PFL Europe, 2024 will only bring bigger and better things for our back-to-back winner of female fighter of the year, Dakota Ditcheva. Of all the fighters on the PFL’s roster, the Bellator acquisition might benefit her most now that there is so much more depth in the women’s divisions for her to test herself against. Despite being 10-0, it still feels like we are only scratching the surface of what Ditcheva is capable of. 

Striking and finishing ability that Haaland himself would be proud of.