EXCLUSIVE: PFL star Dakota Ditcheva talks Paris card, Dublin dreams and working to be a ‘complete fighter’ – as British star admits she’d ‘love’ to fight new PFL recruit Amanda Serrano

• British star Dakota Ditcheva will star in PFL’s Paris semi-finals on September 30
• Ahead of her fight with Cornelia Holm, the flyweight revealed all to Mail Sport 
• Mail Sport’s new WhatsApp Channel: Get the breaking news and exclusives here 

PFL star Dakota Ditcheva has revealed that she has her sights set on a super-fight with Amanda Serrano after this weekend’s Paris semi-finals on Saturday.

Ditcheva, 25, will take on Sweden’s Cornelia Holm in a flyweight bout – with the hopes of extending her professional record to 9-0 and booking her place at Dublin’s finals. 

It’ll be no easy task for the British star, who has already made a name for herself within the PFL after three finishes from her opening three fights. 

And, ahead of her fight with Holm, the 25-year-old has insisted that she feels ‘ready to go’ ahead of the action at the Zenith. 

Speaking exclusively to Mail Sport, Ditcheva revealed: ‘Yeah, I’m excited! I feel like at this point now, the last couple of weeks, it drags out a bit. But I’m ready to go. Training has gone really well.

British star Dakota Ditcheva (pictured) will feature in this weekend’s PFL Paris semi-finals

The PFL flyweight star will be hoping to build on her 8-0 record when she takes to the cage

‘I’m still here in the States at the moment, in Florida, (as I) finished off my camp. I’ll be home next week and I think it’ll get a little bit more real then. And then when I get to Paris, it’ll be exciting. 

‘(Camp has) gone really well. I’ve been able to get here for a full camp. Normally when I get to ATT, there’s always something that gets in the way. 

‘Whereas this time, I’ve been able to come out for a full 8-9 weeks and I feel like I got into a proper routine this time. So, it’s probably one of my best camps that I’ve had’.

Ditcheva will come up against one of the most formidable opponents of her career – with Holm having 11 professional MMA bouts under her belt, as well as being a veteran in the amateur scene.

‘You can’t ever underestimate anyone,’ Ditcheva explained. ‘She’s experienced. She’s fought for a lot of good promotions. She’s not a mug. 

‘And I think people sometimes look at a record and see that it’s not as good as mine… but it doesn’t really mean anything sometimes. So I’ll never underestimate her.

Ditcheva has recorded two KO wins and one submission win since joining the organisation

The PFL star has been preparing in Florida ahead of her  match-up with Holm on Saturday night

‘She seems like a good striker so I’m expecting her to come out and have a good fight’.

While Ditcheva warned of her rival’s abilities, the British star will be well aware of how impressive her own track record in the PFL has been. 

In her opening three fights in the organisation, the 25-year-old has two wins via KO and one submission win – which came in her last fight against Malin Hermansson.

‘Striking will always be my favourite but I need to be a complete fighter. To be the best in the world, I’ve got to be good at everything in the sport. 

‘So that’s maybe where the submission came from. I was working on that a little bit more to catch up to my striking. All round, I’m just trying to progress in all areas in the moment’.

Ditcheva secured the win over Hermansson back in March during PFL’s Newcastle show and has been working tirelessly to keep honing her skills inside the cage.

‘I was straight back in the gym learning. Maybe it wasn’t as intense, as I didn’t have a fight in that period, but I was back in the gym and working on new things. 

‘Soon as I came here, I was straight into camp and got my conditioning going. It’s all been 100% all the way’. 

The 25-year-old has insisted that she’s working to become a ‘complete fighter’ 

Since Ditcheva arrived in the PFL in July 2022, the promotion have gone on to secure a number of big-name fighters and analysts – such as Francis Ngannou, Jake Paul and Dan Hardy. 

On top of those, the likes of successful boxers Amanda Serrano, Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall have all signed multi-year deals with the PFL. 

‘Even I’m surprised sometimes with the announcements!,’ Ditcheva admitted. ‘When I see some of them, like Ngannou or Savannah Marshall or Claressa (Shields), announcing that their back to do an MMA fight… it’s amazing. 

‘I think it’s really good. They’re doing at a super league, so it’ll be interesting to see what they do with that. It’s good that they’re getting the attention. I don’t know what organisation has grown as quick as this. Our Paris show in September is sold out, everyone’s struggling to get tickets. Just to see how well they’re doing is amazing. 

‘They’ve just signed Amanda Serrano and she’s my weight! I’m up for anything. I love to fight. Once I’ve done this tournament, I don’t know what they’ll say to me’.

Ditcheva admitted that she’s keen to organise a fight with boxing star Amanda Serrano (above)

Elsewhere on the Paris card, Ditcheva’s close friend Simeon Powell will be competing in the light heavy-weight semi-final against Abdellah Er Ramy. 

The 24-year-old boasts an impressive 8-0 record in his professional career and Ditcheva remained confident that ‘Smooth’ will cruise to victory. 

‘We’re like a little duo. We carried that first show in March and I feel like us two, as a duo from the UK… definitely bigging up that. 

‘So I’m hoping that he gets the job done and we both get to this journey in Ireland all over again’.

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