Dana White must sign Dakota Ditcheva to the UFC: Making the case for the new PFL women's flyweight champion
Dakota Ditcheva just annihilated former UFC women's flyweight title challenger Taila Santos at PFL 10. In doing so, she has enthroned herself as the promotion's youngest-ever champion and MMA's first-ever female British champion, having captured the 2024 edition of the PFL women's flyweight crown.
At just 26 years old with a 14-0 record, she has a strong argument to be considered one of the most exciting women's MMA talents in the world, the UFC included. And while she has just reached the peak of the PFL mountain, her destiny lies in the UFC, where true global conquest awaits.
If Dana White has his thumb on the pulse of the MMA world like he believes himself to, then he should break out the checkbook and sign Ditcheva before it's too late. There's more than enough reason for him to do so.
Dakota Ditcheva is one of the best women's flyweights in the world
Dakota Ditcheva isn't lacking in accomplishments. Disregarding her championship credentials as a Muay Thai kickboxer, she is no MMA novice. Ditcheva has spent the majority of her MMA career under the PFL banner, where she has already made history.
In 2023, she won the PFL Europe women's flyweight title. One year later, she obliterated Taila Santos within two rounds, TKO'ing her to crown herself as the PFL women's flyweight champion. It isn't just the fact that she is the promotion's youngest-ever champion; it's how she did it and whom she is against.
Santos is a former UFC women's flyweight title challenger. Moreover, she wasn't a lamb fattened for Valentina Shevchenko to slaughter. She was on a four-fight win streak back in 2022 and dragged Shevchenko to hell and back in an extremely competitive bout.
Not only was the fight close, but Santos was outgrappling and outmuscling Shevchenko, one of the most physical 125-pounders in the world, before an accidental headbutt split her open, turning the tide of the fight in her foe's favor. Worse still, Shevchenko, an all-time great, struggled to fend off Santos' wrestling.
Perhaps the most shocking element was that Santos was physically stronger than Shevchenko, who often enjoys a pronounced strength advantage over nearly everyone she faces at flyweight. Yet, when Ditcheva took on Santos, there were no swing rounds or wrestling struggles.
Ahead of the fight, Santos was on a three-fight win streak, including a unanimous decision over two-time UFC title challenger Liz Carmouche, who has faced the great Ronda Rousey and 'Bullet' herself. Unfortunately for the Brazilian, her offense was toothless against Ditcheva, who styled on her from the onset.
With Santos' pre-fight dismissal echoing in her mind, Ditcheva backed her up to the fence, dinged her with an elbow, and folded her with a body shot. With Santos hunched over and defenseless, the referee stepped in to wave the fight off. It was the kind of win fans had expected from Shevchenko when she faced Santos.
Check out Dakota Ditcheva stopping Taila Santos:
Instead, they got it from Ditcheva, who is the real deal and has been neutralizing wrestlers far more regularly than rising stars known for their world-class striking are willing to this early on.
No one had ever finished Santos prior. Ditcheva is the first, and the UFC ought to sign her before the PFL starts claiming to have the best women's flyweight in the world.
The UFC is lacking in female stars and Dakota Ditcheva is as marketable as they come
A glimpse at the UFC women's divisions reveals an absence of compelling stars besides Zhang Weili, Valentina Shevchenko, and Kayla Harrison. The promotion's strawweight division is in good hands, but the women's flyweight division is on borrowed time. Shevchenko turns 37 next year and has already shown signs of slowing down.
No one else in the weight class has the glow of stardom. Alexa Grasso had potential, but her title loss to Bullet and underwhelming overall performance, including a glaring weakness in her takedown defense, create doubt about her viability as a long-term champion.
Manon Fiorot isn't exciting, Erin Blanchfield is still too green, and Rose Namajunas fights too infrequently and has already lost to two top three flyweights. At bantamweight, there's no one of note besides Julianna Peña and two-time Olympic gold medalist judoka Harrison.
Peña, while champion, is also 12-5, not a finisher, and struggles with consistency. Harrison, meanwhile, has already courted concern over her ability to keep cutting weight to 135 pounds long enough to become a mainstay in the division. There is no such worry with Dakota Ditcheva at flyweight.
She has a marketable physical appearance that has already drawn attention from fans and foes alike. She is undefeated at 14-0, which is always a source of mystique for fighters. Moreover, she is the youngest champion in PFL history and has a world-class striking background that promoters can overhype.
She just decimated a former UFC title challenger who once pushed a legend to her limit, so there ought to be little questions about her quality as a fighter. She is also England's first women's MMA world champion, and more importantly, a brutal finisher.
Check out some of Dakota Ditcheva's finishes:
Knockouts are relative rarities in the women's divisions, especially the lower one goes. Ditcheva has knocked out 12 of her 14 opponents. But that isn't all. She has also submitted one of her foes, meaning that just one fighter has made it past the final round with her.
With 13 finishes against 14 opponents, she has a highlight reel of thrilling material for promo packages. Fans are always eager for knockouts, and there is no shortage of stoppages with Ditcheva. Lastly, at 26 years old, she is young, with room for improvement, and a star to rule over the division for years to come.
She is a long-term investment that the UFC can rely on to dominate the women's MMA scene. They just need to give her a chance to prove it. Fans are already calling for it.