Dakota Ditcheva was not happy that her PFL New York victory wasn’t a crowd pleaser.
Ditcheva stepped inside the SmartCage to take on Denise Kielholtz this past Friday. “Dangerous” was a massive betting favorite going into the bout, and while she did pick up the unanimous decision win, her performance didn’t exactly match the line. Kielholtz made things a bit tougher for Ditcheva than expected, which led to some moments where the action wasn’t satisfying enough for those in attendance at the UBS Arena.
Home of Fight live streamed the PFL New York post-fight media conference, and Ditcheva admitted that she didn’t like the crowd boos because she prides herself on being a fun fighter (via MMAFighting).
“It bothered me,” Ditcheva said. “Only because I’m passionate about the work I do, and I wanted a stoppage myself. But at the same time, words from my brother and my coach will be, always, ‘We don’t care about what anybody else thinks.’ It’s me in there fighting. I’m the one that’s in there to only kind of think about the boos for one second and get knocked out.
“So for me, it’s like, I don’t want them to boo, because I want to be exciting and entertaining for you guys, but at the same time, I’m in there fighting. I’m not in there, like, performing a dance. So, I have to do what’s right for me to get the win and come out on top, and that’s what I did today.”
Regardless of how the fans felt, Ditcheva now improves her unblemished pro MMA record to 16-0. This is her second straight decision win after going on a nine-fight streak of finishes. Ditcheva’s last finishing win was back in Nov. 2024 when she scored a second-round TKO victory over Taila Santos.
What do you make of Dakota Ditcheva’s performance at PFL New York? Did she simply have more struggles than expected against an experienced opponent, or is she not as good as advertised? Share your take in the comments below.
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
