Dakota Ditcheva Inspired by Kayla Harrison’s Dominant UFC Title Win: “How Can We Not Be Inspired?”

Dakota Ditcheva aims to add another world title belt to her teammate Kayla Harrison`s collection before the end of the current year.

After triumphing in the women`s flyweight division during the 2024 PFL season, Ditcheva is preparing for her highly anticipated return to the cage this Saturday, where she will face Sumiko Inaba at PFL Africa. In the lead-up to her fight, she witnessed Kayla Harrison`s impressive victory, where she claimed UFC gold with a dominant submission win over Julianna Peña at UFC 316 in June. This moment served as a powerful source of inspiration for the rising PFL star.

“It`s just incredible. I get goosebumps when I think about it,” Ditcheva shared. “Her journey in MMA, and in martial arts overall, has been truly insane.” Ditcheva emphasized, “Imagine: an Olympic champion comes to PFL, dominates everyone, then transitions to UFC and captures the championship belt within two or three fights. Her career is absolutely extraordinary.”

The 26-year-old Ditcheva also demonstrated absolute superiority in the 2024 season, concluding it with a convincing stoppage victory over former UFC title challenger Taila Santos at the PFL World Championships in November. Ditcheva has finished all nine of her PFL opponents and is now preparing for a key bout on a massive Professional Fighters League card.

As Ditcheva`s fame grows and the level of competition, she hopes, continues to rise, Dakota draws strength and inspiration from Kayla Harrison`s unparalleled work ethic, which helps her navigate challenges at American Top Team. “The weight cuts, her dedication to training… when she says in interviews that she hasn`t missed a day of running or cycling, it`s the pure truth. This girl is in the gym every morning, every afternoon, and between sessions, she`s walking and running,” Ditcheva explained. “She is the hardest worker in that gym. To have someone like that around us, setting such an example for us girls in the gym, is priceless. That`s why we are the best team in the world because we have role models like her. How can we not be inspired and want to keep working hard when we see what Kayla Harrison is doing?”