PFL prospect Dakota Ditcheva is one of the most divisive figures in the promotion, going unbeaten in her first 12 professional fights.
The renowned striker has won every one of her fights since signing with the promotion by stoppage, embarking on a lengthy streak of knockouts. But there is belief with some fans that she has been given the easy road in terms of opponents.
She dominated the field in last year’s European season, and made this year’s Global season playoffs with all six potential points at flyweight. Now, she faces 7-1 Jena Bishop, a decorated grappler with years of experience on the ground, and will have her credentials truly tested.
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Never usually one to trash talk, Dakota Ditcheva has been more open in recent months about making her feelings known regarding common critiques of her ability. For example, she feels her last win over Chelsea Hackett is much more credible than she is given credit for by certain sectors of the MMA world.
“I’ve definitely come out with a few comments that are like hoping to shut people up,” she told Bloody Elbow in an exclusive chat. “But at the same time I don’t really care for it. People are underestimating me a little bit and being disrespectful.
“But then do I look into what people are saying and does it bother me? Not really, so for me I just have to keep training in the gym, working hard and performing and that will end up being kind of the most important part.”
The biggest critique would be a concern about her lack of ground game, having spent the majority of her run knocking girls out on the feet. But she is working on her grappling regularly at American Top Team, feeling that eventually a fight will go there.
“I’m working on it all the time,” she continued. “I know that people are going to want to take me down, so obviously I have to have some kind of game there but then people talk about Alex Pereira the same way where ‘if someone gets him down he won’t be able to do anything, it’ll be different’.
“How about his striking is so good that nobody can get him down? And same with me, how about my striking is on a very good level and thus far nobody has managed to get me down yet? People always find the negative rather than the positive.
“But that’s okay, it’s kind of how the sport goes and you just have to take that with people’s opinions for sure.”
Dakota Ditcheva claims she feels bad for opponents who are discredited after she beats them
The game plan for Jena Bishop will be about the same as it was for the other 12 opponents thus far; to land a quick-fire stoppage and move on. From there, she will face the winner of Liz Carmouche vs Taila Santos; a battle of former UFC title contenders with vast experience.
“Once I’ve won we’ll see if it’s good enough for people or not,” she joked after predicting another finish. “I’m sure once I get out and I’ve won and probably stopped her people will be like ‘ah yeah well she wasn’t very good anyway’.
“I don’t agree with that, but that’s what people will say. I actually feel bad for my opponents sometimes because I feel people are really disrespectful towards them, just because they’re fighting me. Everyone took Jena Bishop seriously when she fought Taila Santos and spoke highly of the matchup.
“But now it’s like people are downgrading her because she’s facing me when actually it’s not the case. You know how it goes already, if I beat Taila it’ll be that she’s come out of the UFC and she’s on a downward trajectory. Honestly, whatever.”