Dakota Ditcheva maintained her unblemished record with a decisive performance against Sumiko Inaba.
In the co-main event of Saturday`s PFL Africa card, Ditcheva secured a commanding unanimous decision victory over Sumiko Inaba (8-2), elevating her professional record to 15-0. The English fighter consistently outstruck Inaba throughout all three rounds, leaving no doubt about the outcome.
During the contest, Ditcheva appeared to be struggling with a hand injury, which she later confirmed in her post-fight interview, stating she was not at full capacity for part of the bout.
“I believe I`ve injured my left hand, and I`m particularly disappointed because I`ve been sidelined for a considerable period, only to return and face another injury,” Ditcheva commented. She added, “But I hope everyone enjoyed the fight regardless, thank you very much.”
Furthermore, Ditcheva revealed she had recently finalized a new contract with PFL.
As a significant underdog, Inaba aggressively sought to disrupt Ditcheva`s perfect run, charging forward in Round 1 and demonstrating resilience against Ditcheva`s precise strikes. Ditcheva, however, leveraged her physical attributes, using clinches to control Inaba and subsequently dominated the scoring with expert stand-up striking.
Ditcheva`s arsenal included effective front kicks, powerful body shots, and sharp combinations. While she couldn`t secure a knockout, she inflicted significant damage on Inaba over the full 15 minutes. Though Inaba managed to retaliate at times, Ditcheva largely remained out of harm`s way, securing a comfortable decision win before an appreciative audience in Cape Town, South Africa.
This bout marked Ditcheva`s return to the octagon following her triumph in the 2024 PFL flyweight tournament. Her victory positions her to challenge the victor of the upcoming 2025 final, scheduled for August 15th, between Liz Carmouche and Jena Bishop.
Oliver Croft