When Dakota Ditcheva turned the primary British lady to win an MMA world title, she had no concept of the frustration that might comply with.
After the 26-year-old’s historic win over Taila Santos within the PFL flyweight remaining – her fourth victory in a golden 2024 – she had all of the momentum.
Congratulations poured in from icons of ladies’s MMA, together with Amanda Nunes, Cris Cyborg and Joanna Jedrzejczyk, however quickly the narrative would develop.
The query beginning to type on all people’s lips after that career-high second in November was “what’s subsequent?”.
Ditcheva was able to combat anybody, however the dominant means during which she had dispatched her opponents – together with three first-round stoppages and one within the second spherical – meant there have been no worthy challengers left within the promotion.
“Clearly, with me strolling by them final 12 months it is made it troublesome,” Ditcheva tells BBC Sport.
“It is undoubtedly irritating. I did so effectively final 12 months – I fought within the cage 4 instances and clearly the final one was a giant one and drew a number of consideration, however now I felt like my momentum had type of dropped off.
“Santos was the highest lady within the division and the actual fact I walked by her so simply is one other factor which made this 12 months so troublesome. They [the PFL] did not know which path to place me in.”
