Introduction
Satuday, August 20th, English flyweight prospect Dakota Ditcheva will be in action for PFL, where she will be looking continue her winning ways against Hassna Gaber. She will be looking for another win, as Ditcheva looks to stay undefeated and secure a PFL season roster spot next year. She represents Manchester Top Team, a solid camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Muay Thai: Ditcheva is the daughter of former pro kickboxer/Muay Thai fighter Lisa Howarth, so she has the lineage of fighting in her blood. Ditcheva herself is a three-time amateur Muay Thai champion and has a long background in that sport. That translate well over to MMA, where she’s an excellent striker with outstanding clinch abilities. She’s accurate and lands with good volume, picking apart her opponent quickly before wearing on them and putting them away with her strikes. Her most recent win was her biggest, when she bested Paula Cristina by decision. She put on a striking clinic in that fight, displaying the eight points of Muay Thai well.
Aggressive Finisher: Ditcheva comes out of the blocks swinging and tries to get the finish early and often. Three of her five pro wins come in the first round, all of which by knockout. In fact, four of her five wins as a pro are by knockout, one of which is by ground-and-pound. She’s not shy once the bell rings.
Needs Improvement
Needs More MMA Experience: I really cannot find many holes in Ditcheva’s game at this point, so I will just say since she’s just 23 years old, she needs to continue to accumulate experience (as all prospects do).
Outlook
UFC Top-10: Ditcheva is just 23 years old and she already looks like a blue-chip prospect. Ditcheva reminds me a bit of a young Joanna Jedrzejczyk, although she’s likely not on the level Joanna was at this point in her life right now. She is an excellent natural athlete, will have a striking advantage over most and has improved her grappling immensely from fight to fight. Imagine Ditcheva in a couple of years. Once she’s a complete fighter with more experience, she’s going to be a tough opponent for anybody. I think she will be top-10 at some point in her career.
MMA Intel 