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Dakota Ditcheva is undefeated in 15 pro outings. | PFL MMA
One of Professional Fighters League’s biggest stars will be back in action early next year.
Former flyweight champion Dakota Ditcheva will face Denise Kielholtz in a featured pairing at PFL Road to Dubai 5 on Feb. 7 at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The promotion announced the booking, which is a non-title affair, on Monday. Ditcheva had been sidelined since suffering a broken hand in a unanimous decision victory over Sumiko Inaba at PFL Capetown on July 19.
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PFL: Road to Dubai 5 is headlined by a lightweight championship clash between Usman Nurmagomedov and Alfie Davis, while Ramazan Kuramagomedov and Shamil Musaev will vie for welterweight gold in the co-main event. The card will stream on the ESPN app in the United States.
Striking-Minded Foes
The 27-year-old Ditcheva is undefeated in 15 professional appearances. She began her rise to prominence by winning the PFL Europe flyweight title in 2023, and the British muay thai specialist built upon that momentum by winning the PFL title at 125 pounds — under the old season format — with a stoppage of Taila Santos in 2024. Ditcheva’s ascent slowed somewhat this past year, as her only appearance was the aforementioned victory over Inaba.
Kielhotlz, meanwhile, will return to active competition for the first time since November 2023, when she outpointed Inaba at Bellator 301. The 36-year-old Dutchwoman has compiled an 8-5 MMA mark while spending the majority of her pro tenure in Bellator. She notably challenged for the flyweight title at Bellator 262 in July 2021, when she dropped a five-round verdict to Juliana Velasquez. “Miss Dynamite” was also a former Bellator Kickboxing champion.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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