Dakota Ditcheva may have competed just once since her breakout 2024 campaign, but that hasn’t stopped her name from circulating at the top of the PFL food chain.
Fresh off a third-round rear-naked choke victory over Sara Collins at PFL Lyon in December, featherweight champion Cris Cyborg stunned fans by calling out Ditcheva, a flyweight who competes two divisions below her. The unexpected challenge immediately sparked debate, given the significant weight difference and where both fighters currently stand in their careers.
Speaking Tuesday on The Ariel Helwani Show, Ditcheva addressed the callout for the first time. While she appreciated the recognition, the undefeated PFL standout made it clear that the matchup doesn’t make much sense right now.
“If Cyborg could make 135 and they gave me a bit of time, she’s had a bit more time, you know,” Ditcheva said. “She’s saying it’s her last fight. I haven’t got time to put that much weight on. I’m not a big 125er. I don’t have a tough weight cut at all. So for me, I’d have to strength up big.”
Ditcheva added that money and logistics would play a major role if the fight ever became realistic.
“But I would have done it if she was even close to 135 and you paid me some big money — hell yeah, I’ll get in,” she said. “But it just didn’t make any sense at all.”
Instead, Ditcheva pointed to longtime featherweight contender Leah McCourt as a more logical opponent for Cyborg.
“Leah McCourt’s been asking for that fight for so, so long,” Ditcheva said. “Why are you shouting me out? Leah wants that fight. Give it to her.”
While Ditcheva acknowledged McCourt’s case, the reality remains that a Cyborg vs. Ditcheva bout carries far more commercial appeal. Ditcheva understands her growing value after tearing through the PFL flyweight division, maintaining an undefeated record, and earning Uncrowned’s 2024 Women’s Fighter of the Year award.
“Respectfully, she’s not giving the fight. I am,” Ditcheva said. “I 100 percent would be the one who sells that fight more. It would be a superfight, but she’s calling me out like she’s picking me. She needs me.”
Ditcheva pushed back against the idea that Cyborg was simply choosing the toughest available opponent.
“She’s not picking anyone else. Leah’s been asking for it for ages — she’s not picking Leah,” she said. “It’s a superfight for sure, but you kind of need me to make it big.”
She also questioned the logic of the callout from a competitive standpoint.
“I’m not calling out no 105-pound atomweight person,” Ditcheva said. “It doesn’t make sense. That’s why I didn’t entertain it. I don’t like feeding into people just using my name all the time.”
Shortly after Ditcheva’s comments aired, Cyborg fired back on social media, insisting she could make 135 pounds for a potential fall showdown and labeling the matchup “the biggest fight the PFL can make.”
“Superfights take two people,” Cyborg wrote. “I can make 135 for a superfight in the fall. I won’t miss weight for my retirement fight. This is the biggest fight the PFL can make.”
For now, Ditcheva remains focused on returning to action after suffering a broken hand that forced her out of a planned February bout in Dubai. She hopes to resume her season around April or May and stay active throughout the year.
Despite being widely viewed as the PFL’s top flyweight, Ditcheva isn’t chasing belts or gimmicks.
“I feel like if I win a belt, who’s that impressing?” Ditcheva said. “Everyone’s still going to think the same. As long as I keep beating these girls, forget the belt. I just need to keep winning and proving I’m the best 125er.”
Whether the PFL seriously entertains a Cyborg superfight remains unclear. But one thing is certain: Ditcheva knows her worth, and she isn’t rushing into anything that doesn’t add up.
