Outside Source
The unbeaten British standout meets former Bellator kickboxing champion Denise Kielholtz on July 31 at UBS Arena on Long Island, New York, marking her return after suffering a broken hand against Sumiko Inaba in 2025, an injury that sidelined her for more than a year.
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Dakota Ditcheva discusses confidence struggles before PFL fight with Denise Kielholtz
Despite a 100% physical recovery from her injury, Ditcheva still struggles with the mental aspect of returning to competition. She recently admitted that the biggest hurdle has been regaining complete confidence in her repaired hand, especially having undergone reconstructive surgery.
“You have to try and forget about it,” Ditcheva said about her recovery after the surgery. “I’m doing everything I was doing before it was broken, so for now, it’s just the mind. I don’t have any evidence to suggest the hand isn’t as strong as it was before; I’m hitting just as hard as I was before.”
Ditcheva also claimed that she occasionally feels “nervous” before training sessions.
“When I get ready for training in the morning, I’m nervous,” the PFL star added. “But that’s what makes me go and those feeling are what I live for every day.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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