Who is Valentina Scatizzi? Fighter training at SBG Ireland backed by Conor McGregor ahead of PFL bout
Valentina Scatizzi has some 'Notorious' support behind her for an all-important fight against Dakota Ditcheva.
On the road to PFL Dublin, Conor McGregor shared a supportive photo of Scatizzi on his Instagram story, which succinctly stated "SBG Italia" with the flags of Italy and Ireland next to it. Earlier, the former two-division UFC champion also shared the image of Scatizzi and Ditcheva.
Both are combative compatriots of Straight Blast Gym, and the support among teammates is clearly there. McGregor is certainly familiar with winning titles with multiple linear belts across multiple divisions and organizations. The desire is there to also see Scatizzi win this 125-pound tournament title and add one more to SBG Ireland's decorated mantle.
Check out McGregor's Instagram stories on Scatizzi below:
Valentina Scatizzi and the PFL Europe star's path
Valentina Scatizzi will be vying for the vacant tournament championship here in the flyweight ranks against the 9-0 pro Dakota Ditcheva. The latter debuted on the main PFL circuit last year with a pair of wins, followed by a pair of PFL Europe wins along the season circuit to punch her ticket to the finals on December 8.
Valentina Scatizzi has had a handful of mixed martial arts bouts across amateur and pro. She has an overall record of 4-1 with a 2-0 amateur record and going 2-1 as a professional so far.
Rebounding from a loss at Slam FC 13 in June of last year, Scatizzi won her promotional debut and made some PFL history in the process. The Italian warrior was victorious in what was the first-ever PFL Europe Women's flyweight season bout.
That aforementioned defeat came to someone who entered the cage with ten professional fights, as Scatizzi had her sophomore pro-MMA bout.
Scatizzi, in her previous prizefight, bested Lizzy Gevers by way of a split decision at PFL Europe 1 in March. Gevers is a training partner of former UFC women's featherweight champion Germaine De Randamie and put the first blemish on her professional record.
She then received a bye to the finals after a pair of late-September prizefights fell out. She also has first-round wins by way of submission and striking-based finishing, showing a relative level of versatility in her game in the nascent days of her career.
A victory here for Scatizzi would put her in there with names like Conor McGregor, Cathal Pendred, and John Phillips, who have captured titles while training out of SBG.