Dakota Ditcheva made an honest admission ahead of her women’s flyweight clash with Denise Kielholtz. Ditcheva revealed that she has been a fan of Kielholtz and has followed her career.
Ditcheva vs. Kielholtz is scheduled to co-headline PFL New York at UBS Arena in Long Island, New York, on Jul. 11. The bout carries high stakes, as the winner could earn an opportunity to fight for the vacant PFL women’s flyweight championship.
Ditcheva, 27, is unbeaten in her professional career, holding a record of 15-0. Kielholtz, meanwhile, is a former kickboxer, who enters the bout with an MMA record of 9-5. Based on both fighters’ respective fighting styles, their bout could be striking-heavy, which has been popular among MMA fans.
Dakota Ditcheva Admits to Being a Fan of Denise Kielholtz
Dakota Ditcheva will be in a unique situation at PFL New York when she faces Denise Kielholtz. She is a fan of Kielholtz, so she will need to put her personal admiration for her opponent aside and focus on the task at hand.
“I’m excited. Denise [Kielholtz] is somebody that I’ve watched for a long time. I watched her when she was fighting kickboxing. She’s one of my favorite female strikers,” Ditcheva exclusively told Heavy Sports. “It’s strange now to be facing her. And when I first got matched up with her before, I had to pull out, which was a bit of a shame.”
She continued:
“I used to comment on her posts a lot and her fights and be like, ‘Wow, good job.’ And now I’m going to be facing her. It’s a bit of a tough one. But at the same time, I know who I’m up against,” Ditcheva said. “She’s another great striker and I’m excited to kind of put our styles together and see what happens and who comes out on top.”
Ditcheva Not Looking Past Kielholtz
While Ditcheva is widely regarded as the favorite ahead of her bout with Kielholtz, she is not looking past her opponent.
‘Dangerous’ has been linked to a potential bout with Liz Carmouche since PFL acquired Bellator. Carmouche, a former Bellator women’s flyweight champion and UFC veteran, is the biggest name available for Ditcheva to face. Because of that, it is understandable why the promotion is eager to book that fight to crown a new champion.
Ditcheva was in attendance when Carmouche defeated Viviane Araujo at PFL San Diego. She was able to witness what the former Bellator champion is capable of and get a better idea of what to prepare for should they fight.
Despite the added attention ‘Dangerous’ has received ahead of her bout with Kielholtz, she is solely focused on her opponent.
“That [fight with Carmouche] will probably happen, but just not something that I’m focusing on right now. For me, I know [fans and analysts] like to talk about me a lot, but I’m facing Denise and that’s the focus that I have,” Ditcheva exclusively told Heavy Sports. “I’m not really bothering to think about what happens after [my fight] right now. But yeah, if that’s the fight that happens, I’ll be there in the center of the cage to meet her for sure.”
Dakota Ditcheva Makes Honest Admission Ahead of Denise Kielholtz Fight: Exclusive