PFL champion Dakota Ditcheva believes she may have to buy her younger brother a new car for her first Christmas as a millionaire.
The flyweight phenom brutally finished former UFC title contender Taila Santos in Riyadh last month to win the world title, and the $1million prize that comes with it. And she has become one of the sport’s most exciting female fighters in the process.
She won the belt to complete a gruelling season that saw her fight four times between April and November. This followed a three-fight season in the PFL Europe tournament last year, meaning a super active run of fights.
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Dakota Ditcheva reveals plans for spending $1million PFL prize
With Christmas around the corner, Dakota Ditcheva understands she may have to go on a bit of a spending spree with her newfound $1million prize. Last year she was under similar pressure from family when she picked up $100,000 for winning the European belt, but it’s now on another level.
Speaking exclusively with Bloody Elbow, she explained: “Last year when I won the European it was a few days before Christmas and this time I’m not getting away with nothing now I have the million! But they deserve it.
“My family can have whatever they want, that money is theirs, they can have whatever they want… My little brother is having a field day right now, whenever mum said ‘you need to get a job, what are you doing?’ He’d tell us ‘it’s fine, Dakota will be rich’.”
Dakota Ditcheva will buy a car for her brother with PFL winnings
It appears that the biggest purchase she may have to make will be for her little brother, who is currently in need of a new car. However, she isn’t sure whether or not to buy it for him, or force him to get a job and pay for it himself.
“My little brother’s car is basically about to break down anyway,” she added. “So I’m like ‘are you going to work a few more shifts so you can get a new one?’ And he says ‘nah’,
“So I’m sure he’ll be asking me for a car very soon. I’ve got a few ideas but my little brother’s definitely going to get a car out of me.”
Dakota Ditcheva’s brother Cody bought her wrestling shoes when she was broke
While Ditcheva is close with all of her family, the clear bond that has helped her make it to the top of the sport has been with her brother Cody. An impressive martial artist in his own right, he has put his entire life on the back burner in pursuit of his sister’s glory within PFL.
“When I came over to America first I wasn’t in the best place and I didn’t have any money,” she explained. “My brother sent a package to my door and it was a new pair of wrestling shoes that I didn’t have, so he bought them.
“He’s sacrificed so much and it’s nice now that I can finally start giving it back. We’ve always talked about it in terms of changing my family’s life, my mum and dad’s together as siblings and we haven’t been in the position where we can do that financially.
“But even though we’ve talked about it together he’s still always sacrificed whatever he can in order to help the family and me. So anything I have is his as well, it’s all shared because we do it together and I couldn’t do it without him.”
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