Exclusive interview with PFL rising star Dakota Ditcheva ⭐ | ESPN MMA ESPN’s Marc Raimondi interviews Dakota Ditcheva of …
Mark Mundy for ESPN joined today by Dakota diiva one of pfl’s rising stars in Dakota it’s 2024 now uh we’re just a few days into 2024 but you really had an incredible 2023 right three and 0 three finishes you won 100K us I believe last month another finish uh I mean can you just reflect a little bit on what on what that year was for you and you you kind of you know took over pfl’s European scene yeah it was a crazy year to be honest a year that I feel like I worked so so hard for like my whole career and I finally had a little bit of a breakthrough um obviously I won the whole tournament but I think just um my name in general just kind of a lot of people knew about me more this year you know I got a lot more attention than I usually do and I feel like a little bit more respect as well um and yeah just kind of winning that belt kind of cemented a little bit like you know she’s she’s kind of a big thing in Europe now and hopefully I’ll be able to go onto the world scen and there and do the same this year I really feel like you know what you did in pfl Europe last year was kind of an example of what pfl is looking for as far as you know their different regions right you know they have different regions around the world and they’re building new ones you know as we speak and they’re hoping that the Champions there then kind of can can graduate almost to you know the us-based or I mean it’s really world-based honestly the the pfl tournament structure like the main the main scene do you feel the same way like that you almost kind of said an example of what this could be for PF yeah definitely um I’ve was I’ve really enjoyed being part of pfl Europe as well obviously it was only the first year that it was running but I feel like um it went really really well they did an amazing job I think it’s the area that they kind of the in between stage from like the lower shows to the big big Global scene I think it’s that nice little Gap in the middle that you know we’re missing a little bit and um like you said you know this this tournament now has kind of prepared prepared me for the for the next stage of going maybe to the world global one and um I think it’s a been a really important it was a really important year for me you know just to gradually build up kind of get the feel for what you know the big the big shows are about and how it all works and being able to fight for big crowds and you know just prepare for the for the next stage and I’ve um it was it was just amazing a really good year yeah being a part of it and is that next stage that I that I want to ask you about now I mean so you had that great year and I really feel like you’ve been earmarked as one of pfl’s stars in the future you’re 25 you’re undefeated you know you you’re a finisher right you know you’ve had you’ve had a bunch of highlight real finishes over the last few years so what what is 2024 looking like and I preface that question with the fact that pfl has not had a women’s flyweight division yet for their season have they told you about starting one and also there’s the Bell the Bellator element as well so so what doeses look like for Dakota dig do you know what I can’t actually answer that right now because I don’t know I’m on to my manager every day I’m like saying to him a pfl told you the plans for this year because originally when I signed it was to do the Europe tournament and then win that obviously I needed to win it and then go on to the next one um but now obviously it’s going to be the first year of a 125 Division I don’t know with now like the signings with Inu um you know like all the big names that they’ve got and then obviously the Bellator signing I don’t know what actually is happening now whether there is a still a plan to do a 125 Division for the global tournament or whether they’re just going to do straight fights with us um like you said they they take me quite serious they build my name up quite well so I’m sure like if we don’t do a tournament they’ll want to put me on a great card or something and with the Bellator signing as well that opens a whole kind of like one two five women you know so there’s just so many different options and I’ve kind of been like the last two weeks just like my mind’s come on give me something like tell me what your ideas are you know because I don’t know what pfl’s plans are not just with me but in general with everybody else so um I mean that’s all I can say right now is that I’m open to so many ideas and just want to fight you know so as long as they give me three hopefully maybe four this time four fights this year then um I’ll be happy I’ll be happy to go with the flow I feel like you’re someone who could benefit the most from Bellator and their Fighters coming over to pfl and the reason why I say that is because pfl has not had a women’s 125 Division but beltor does and they have some really quality Fighters at at flyweight Liz Carmo you know leay McFarland Juliana Velasquez you know there Kan of wab like there’s there’s a pretty decent division there that you know you can come right into and there’s kind of exciting fights for you right away if that is the way the way that pfl chooses to go and merges everything together yeah 100% I mean definitely with the the female division that they’ve got for one two five it couldn’t have put me in a better position you know so it’s worked out really well for me um like I said whether they do a tournament or they just give me some you know good opponents from um from the Bellator side then I’m I’m happy but I just think this the the the path that I’ve taken with pfl has just worked out perfect and um obviously I had a really good year last year now with this signing and plenty of other opportunities I feel like it’s just going to go the same way and I just need to make sure I’m in the gym training getting better and then I’ll be ready for whatever they want to give me yeah the other name that I was trying to that I was trying to remember was Denise koltz that would be a banger fight you and Denise keol another European kickboxer Muay Thai Fighter I mean that’s that’s a banger it would be an absolutely amazing fight but I love it to pieces I’ve watched I’ve watched so many fights I always posted when she fights I support her comment on a thing she she comments on my Instagram so it would be a shame to have to fight her because I’ve watched her for years even in kickboxing so um she’s someone that I’ve always looked up to and just kind of you know always thought wow what an amazing female fighter she is so would be a bit of a shame but like he said the two striking Styles would would really give a good fight I think plus our Heights are completely different like I’m really tall she’s really short she’s got big hands I like to kick so it it would probably be quite interesting but it’d be a shame because I do really enjoy watching her fight do you uh are you are you set at at flyweight at 125 or could you move up or down yeah no I’m set I think 125 is the definitely the the division for me um I make that easy you know I only have a small cour I don’t walk around really heavy so um 135 would the girls would just be too big they’d be cutting from too high you know for I’d be at a disadvantage straight away and I’m not looking to be any skinnier on weighing day to hit one 115 that is just not something that I’d like to do plus I like my food too much so I’m happy at 125 we won’t be seeing you again so Chris cyborg or Kayla Harrison at any point I guess no I definit I mean Kayla she is in some shape I train at the same gym as Kayla in America so she is absolutely ripped she’s definitely too too big for me I wouldn’t be able to be able to get to that size but um but yeah one5 will do I think her head’s a little bit too big too Kayla Harrison you can tell her that’s on the record you tell her said that um want me to tell her well tell her if I’m not around tell her if I’m like on the other side of the country how’s that is that fair okay that’s a safe safe idea I actually didn’t want to ask you about American top team because that’s kind of like your your home away from home in the United States and they have a killer group of women down there Kayla Harrison being one of them and maybe killer for real if she hears what I said about her a few minutes ago but uh but tell me about about that and how much that has helped you um training there with you know all all those uh fantastic female Fighters yeah it’s been amazing I think like he said just the female bodies that I get to train with there has um has really up my game I think um with me being here in the UK I don’t have very very many females to train with if any completely um so it’s definitely been that’s been the main thing that’s been you know a real standout to me the work that I’ve been able to get in with a lot of high level um you know Grapplers Strikers has been amazing but as well like I travel a lot in the UK to different gyms to get different working um I live at home with my parents and my two brothers so that can be a little bit crazy sometimes when you’re in Camp and just want to you know concentrate on what you’re doing it’s it’s always difficult so even that aspect of being over there on my own living on my own you know not having all my family eating takeway in the same room while I’m trying to diet just little things like that that you don’t think about just make things so much easier so obviously waking up in the Sun as well to Florida is is always nice so yeah just a win-win all around I think everyone who comes out of at is always really well-rounded like no matter what their base is when they come into at they end up being really good at everything are you working on kind of the wrestling and grappling aspect specifically there yeah I mean I’m working everything I think that’s the good thing about American Top scene they have they have it worked out they have a balance of everything right you know our fighter timetable is split between it all our extra classes there’s classes for striking Jiu-Jitsu wrestling this there’s all Co bases are all covered you know so I think that’s the one thing they have really worked out there is the right amount of each and I think that’s why we have such a good rounded well-rounded set of athletes there you know we’re all kind of working on the right things together I I know that you uh one of the people that you looked up to when you were younger and probably even now is you want on J check and she trained the American top team have you got a chance to work with her at all I know that she’s been retired but has she been down there she actually came in yeah I I did a Fang girl moment and asked her for a photo on the mat I’m not going to lie but yeah yeah she did come in she did a little bit of training while she was passing through on holiday but um I didn’t get to work with her like specifically but um yeah she was there on the mat she’s she’s an absolutely lovely girl as well she’s uh she’s super talented I’ve watched her like for years and years so stuff like that is really surreal to me you know to be in a gym with people that I’ve been watching for so long just like it’s crazy to me I feel so lucky to be able to be on the same M and it just makes me feel a little bit confident about my future you know to be surrounded by athletes like that I just know that I’m heading in the right direction for sure what was that fan girl moment like I mean I put the photo straight up on Instagram and it was just like oh my God even now when I think about the phoh it gets me excited but yeah I mean know watched her for so many years I think everyone was just excited back home for me when they saw the photo because they knew that I’d watched her for so long so yeah it was was one that I’ll always remember last thing I wanted to ask you and and Dakota thank you so much for taking the time out uh you you come from a a martial arts family you know your mom Lisa Howard was really a legend in in kickboxing and I’m sure that she’s passed a lot of that down to you what is that like growing up with uh you know a a mom and and a woman who was such a you know badass in in fight Sports yeah it’s been a crazy journey I think one that I always count myself lucky to have because not many girls do have that you know um especially in the support in the sport as well you know you it’s normally the the dads that are like they’ve been to you know uh used to be a wrestler or used to be a fighter or something but mine’s my mom so it stands out to a lot of people but it’s just I think the main thing I love about it is that her experience saves me a lot of mistakes um and that’s one thing that we’ll always say like she’s always on to everything that I’m doing inside and outside of the sport just because she’s been through it all before and then obviously emotions and things like that she’s the one person that knows kind of how I’m feeling and what I’m feeling at what point you know she could probably tell me how I’m feeling without me even telling her so I think that’s the one lucky thing that I get I get from from this but I mean it’s always been super cool at school as well you can’t forget that like no one messes with you everyone’s always dead nice I always used to say that um I could walk to the shop with my mom and if I was to bump into somebody that I knew they’d always say hi to my mom first before me it was just always like that but I’ve loved it I’ve always loved to shower off for sure so none of the guys in school mess with you because your mom would beat them up no no one even the girls no girls mess with me either don’t want to get mom mad she’ll she’ll yeah literally what what are those uh family dinners like you know you guys are just eating dinner and she’s like make sure you you know you check the kick and we well we always made sure we at our veg as well off our plate so we never left anything behind otherwise yeah we’d uh we’d be in trouble but no it was it’s always been I’ve absolutely loved you know this unique journey I would say that I’ve had with my mom for sure and um it’s not over yet we’ve still got a lot more to go awesome thank you so much looking forward to seeing what you do in 2024 it should be really a big year for you and for pfl as a whole thanks so much thank you so [Applause] [Music] much