Dakota Ditcheva has achieved a historic milestone, becoming the first British woman to win a world title in mixed martial arts.
The 26-year-old Muay Thai expert extended her undefeated record to 14-0 by decisively stopping former UFC title contender Taila Santos in Riyadh. This victory secured her the Professional Fighters League (PFL) flyweight championship.
Ditcheva finished the fight in the second round with powerful body shots, marking her 13th stoppage victory. Santos, a world-class competitor, suffered only her fourth loss in 26 professional fights, and her first loss outside of the UFC.
Santos attempted to use grappling to slow down Ditcheva, who is from Sale. However, Ditcheva’s striking skills were dominant. She used knees and kicks early in the fight, then followed up with elbows and body shots, living up to her nickname ‘Dangerous’. Ditcheva strategically chose her strikes and had already weakened Santos before the fight was stopped.
After the fight, Ditcheva expressed satisfaction in defeating Santos, who had made negative comments before the match.
‘She’s a tough girl but I knew what I was capable of,’ Ditcheva said. ‘She’s been saying ‘she’s just a Barbie, she should be a model’.
‘Well, a model just beat your a** in round two, so shut up.’
This victory earned Ditcheva $1 million in prize money. She believes she defeated the best possible opponent in the PFL.
‘I’ve been telling you, I’ve tried to tell you, I just keep proving them wrong,’ Ditcheva added.
‘The world is mine. I just beat the best girl out there. Me and PFL will create something amazing again.’
However, it was not a successful night for fellow British fighter Brendan Loughnane. Following Ditcheva’s win, Loughnane competed in the main event but lost by unanimous decision to Timur Khizriev of Russia in his attempt to regain the PFL featherweight world title.
Marcus Bellamy