PFL women’s flyweight star Dakota Ditcheva says she broke both her hands in her recent fight against Denise Kielholtz at PFL New York.
Ditcheva defeated Kielholtz via unanimous decision in the bout, but unfortunately for her, she did not emerge unscathed, as she broke both of her hands during the fight.
Dakota Ditcheva Breaks Both Hands at PFL New York
Speaking on her YouTube channel, Ditcheva confirmed that she broke both of her hands against Kielholtz.
“Breaking news: I am injured again. I broke my hands in the fight. I could feel it from the second I started the second round. I didn’t tell my corner. I didn’t tell anybody. I didn’t show it this time, and I didn’t actually tell anybody until I got out of the cage. “I am back in splints until my surgeon has decided what the next steps are going forward, which will be in the next few days,” Ditcheva said (via MMAjunkie.com).
This is not the first time that Ditcheva broke her hands, as she suffered the same injury against Sumiko Inaba in her last fight in 2025, but she did not get surgery, which resulted in her breaking her hands again against Kielholtz.
“I was told that if I didn’t go ahead with the surgery (last year), there was possibility that it would break again in my fight. And unfortunately, I took the risk in not doing the surgery because I was hoping that it would hold strong without intervening with that kind of thing – and it didn’t. So it’s no new injury,” Ditcheva said.
“It was a choice of mine to have the surgery the first time and I didn’t. So therefore, I’m paying the price for it now and I will be out for a little bit. It is what it is. I’m going to move forward. I have honestly cried nonstop the last week.”
Dakota Ditcheva’s MMA Career
Ditcheva is a 28-year-old British MMA prospect who began her pro career in 2021 following the conclusion of her Muay Thai career.
So far in MMA, Ditcheva is 16-0, including a perfect 11-0 record in PFL. She is one of the best MMA fighters not currently signed to the UFC, but since she is under contract with PFL, she won’t be joining the UFC anytime soon, even though many fans want to see her fight inside the Octagon, as she is one of the best women’s flyweight fighters on the planet.
The PFL said that Ditcheva will likely be fighting former UFC women’s standout Liz Carmouche in her next fight, which is by far the best fight that the PFL can book right now in the women’s flyweight division.
Given the injury to her hands, it seems likely that Ditcheva won’t fight again in 2026, meaning the next time she fights will more than likely take place in the newly-merged MVP-PFL promotion, which is expected to begin promoting events in 2027. Hopefully, surgery is successful for Ditcheva, and she can get back into the cage early next year.
PFL Star Dakota Ditcheva Suffers Broken Hands