Undefeated and unfiltered Dakota Ditcheva made it clear. She wants the biggest challenge and she doesn’t care who’s logo is on her gloves. The Manchester Flyweight, who recently crowned the PFL champion, has set his sights on Valentina Shevchenko. This is a name synonymous with the advantage of the UFC.
Dakota Ditcheva vs. Valentina Shevchenko
For fans familiar with the regular tribal line of MMA, the outlook for a PFL vs. UFC champion showdown is not only unusual. It’s almost heresy. However, Diccheva, who is not embarrassed by his cage or microphone, is all-in. “I don’t know if UFC Superfight will be in my near future, but if PFL Champion vs UFC Champion occurs, I’d be happy with it. It will be a serious, history-making battle.” She said without hesitation to speak to Ariel Helwani.
The rise of Diccheva is unforgiving. Still undefeated, she made the record with a knockout and a first round finish. What’s next for Dakota Ditechva? Her answer is direct – bringing UFC champion Valentina Shevchenko with him.
Shevchenko is a future Hall of Fame, the prototype of modern MMA champions with skilled clinical cases, with trophy cases spanning continents and rulesets. The fact that Ditcheva is giving her a name indicates how the new PFL star has grown lead status.
Ditcheva doesn’t play the drums for his own ego. She is keenly aware of the business side of the fight and doesn’t mind tweaking her promotion. “Fight games are about big battles. The PFL needs to evolve beyond tournaments and allow for the biggest battles to grow our fanbase.”
“I’m not really sure why I’m not the PFL women’s flyweight champion yet. They changed a lot. They were the champions of last year’s season, but now I’m not calling them champions. That makes no sense.”
When Ditcheva ran squarely at Taela Santos, he was billed for a clash with a former UFC title candidate whose new Blood and durability are legendary. Diccheva sent Santos through TKO in the second round. It proved that her impression was not flashy. Santos, who had been distanced from Valentina Shevchenko at the UFC, saw her PFL running under Ditcheva’s fist. Shevchenko needed a razor closure decision to maintain the belt against Santos, but Ditcheva removed the need for discussion and finished the job on a massive scale.
“I resigned from PFL until 2027. I’m happy with the contract. There’s a time limit on the contract. They need to keep me active. I want to build a department and continue to fight the best girls.”
On paper, it is classic. An all-around game with impressive Muay Thai root style and Shevchenko’s systematic seasoning – kickboxing and Muay Thai background. Dichéva’s knockout strings are impressive, but Shevchenko has built her career by drilling holes in the mystique of the burgeoning challenger. It is experience, Poland, speed, risk and hunger for calculations.
Like all cross-promotional cheating, reality is complicated. Contracts, egos, and executive attention are perennial stumbling. But Ditcheva’s challenge is to keep the conversation firmly on the table. She’s called Shots, but now the question isn’t whether she’ll back it up, but whether Shevchenko and UFC are games.