DakotaDitcheva's latest victory came at a cost.

The unbeaten Professional Fighters League star revealed that she broke bothhands during her recent unanimous decision victory over DeniseKielholtz at PFL New York. While she's likely set for another stint on thesidelines, the Manchester native has revealed her interest incompeting in boxing.
Ditcheva, who improved to 16-0 with the win, said she first noticedthe damage early in the second round but kept the injury to herself throughout the remainderof the fight. She opened up about her latest hand injury in arecently released YouTube video.

"Breaking news, I am injured again," Ditcheva said. "I broke myhands in the fight. I could feel it from the moment I started thesecond round. I didn't tell my corner. I didn't tell anybody. Ididn't show it this time and I didn't tell anybody until I got outof the cage."

Ditcheva is now wearing splints while she waits to learn whethersurgery will be necessary. The latest injury also stems from aprevious issue with her hands.

The 27-year-old previously broke both hands and elected to havesurgery on only one of them. She explained that doctors had warnedher the untreated fracture could break again if she continuedfighting without surgery. Ditcheva clarified that she did notsuffer two entirely new fractures, explaining that one of herprevious breaks held up while another finger was damaged during thefight.

The injury comes after Ditcheva returned from a year-long absenceto defeat former kickboxing champion Kielholtz by unanimousdecision. Although she couldn't find the stoppage, Ditchevacontrolled the contest and reaffirmed her status as one of thefaces of the PFL.

Despite the setback, Ditcheva remains interested in expanding hercombat sports endeavors. She has expressed interest in boxing forMost Valuable Promotions, which recently merged with the PFL.In an X clip posted by MVP, Ditcheva said that she's"interested."

#ditcheva #boxing

The injury bug has bitten Dakota Ditcheva once again. The standout fighter who's struggled to stay healthy since winning the 2024 PFL flyweight tournament announced she'll be headed back on the sidelines for an extended period following her latest victory.
PFL New York saw Ditcheva, 28, make a triumphant return two weeks ago when she earned a lopsided unanimous decision against former Bellator kickboxing champion Denise Kielholts. The flyweight star, however, revealed on her YouTube channel on Sunday that she has once again suffered a pair of broken hands.
"Breaking news: I am injured again. I broke my hands in the fight," Ditcheva said. "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."
Broken hands are nothing new for Ditcheva. The Kielholtz fight acted as Ditcheva's return to action after a dominant win against Sumiko Inaba in July 2025. Like in this latest appearance, Ditcheva first broke her hands in that bout, leading to her recovering for the better part of the year that followed.

#tell #return

PFL star Dakota Ditcheva has broken her hand again and will be out for an undetermined amount of time.
The 16-0 Ditcheva is coming off a dominant three round decision over Denise Kielholtz at PFL New York. While she didn't manage to score a highlight reel knockout, she put a beating on Kielholtz and reminded the world after a year long absence why she's the hottest up-and-comer in women's MMA.
Unfortunately, Ditcheva didn't exit the cage unscathed. In a new YouTube video she revealed that she injured her hands (again) in the fight.
"Breaking news, I am injured again," Ditcheva said. "I broke my hands in the fight. I could feel it from the moment 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 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," she added before explaining this was a previous break that has broken once more. Ditcheva has broken both her hands in the past, but only opted to get surgery on one.

#kielholtz

Check out this week's "Spinning Back Clique," MMA Junkie's weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.
This week's panel of Brian "Goze" Garcia, Farah Hannoun and Danny Segura will join host "Gorgeous" George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:
UFC hosted its first-ever event in Serbia with UFC Fight Night 282. In the main event, Uros Medic made sure to close out the show favorably for the home crowd, putting away veteran Daniel Rodriguez in just 30 seconds. It was an impressive win that now has Medic on a 4-0 run with all victories coming by stoppage. What's next for Medic? How far can he go at 170 pounds? We discuss.
Big news for the MMA industry. PFL is set to merge into MVP MMA at the start of 2027. Both rosters will be merging, along with the promotional machines, to create a stronger promotion on paper to rival the UFC. We discuss all the implications this merge can have on the sport, along with what this means for the UFC and their practices.
Usman Nurmagomedov is now a free agent after he fought out his contract with the PFL this past Friday at PFL New York. Nurmagomedov steps into free agency fresh off a quick stoppage over Archie Colgan and a second **** le defense of the PFL lightweight **** le. This result accompanies Dakota Ditcheva's decision win over Denise Kielholtz in the co-main event of the card. We recap the PFL New York headlining bouts.

#Event #nurmagomedov

Dakota Ditcheva wants it. John Martin now wants it. Liz Carmouche has said she wants it.
It sounds like the stars are aligning for a high-profile PFL women's flyweight ***** le fight – it's just a matter of when.
"I've talked to her," Martin told reporters Friday after PFL New York at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. (h/t Home of Fight). "She wants to stay busy. She's been out of the cage for a year. I think in the first round tonight, we saw her kind of feel Denise (Kielholtz), and there was a little bit of cage rust, maybe. But she got over that really quickly. So yeah, she's going to be back pretty soon, and I think Liz is the fight we make."
Martin hopes it's a fight PFL can get on the books by the end of the year, prior to their official branding merger with MVP. That timeline seems to align with Ditcheva (16-0), who voiced desire for a quick return and frequent activity after a year out of action, partially due to a hand injury.
"I think so," Ditcheva said, if a crack at the champion should be on deck. "That makes sense, yeah. I think it makes more sense before she shouted out the 135-pound division. But anyway, we'll see what happens. She changes her mind every second."

#fight #martin

Fresh off the news of the merger with Most Valuable Promotions, Professional Fighters League continued its "Summer Series" runof events with a surge of momentum.

Two of the company's top superstars made their return aslightweight champion UsmanNurmagomedov put his ***** le on the line against undefeatedchallenger ArchieColgan, and DakotaDitcheva denied DeniseKielholtz following a year on the shelf.
Following a brutal and decisive first-round finish over Colgan,there are immediate questions on the future of Nurmagomedov and hisplace in the company, as he just fought out the last fight of hiscontract. Nurmagomedov made it a point to see how the PFL/MVPmerger would lead to a contract offer in terms of pay, and if theykeep him, there's a clear top contender in Shabliy. DefeatingAlfieDavis by unanimous decision last month, Shabliy discussed hisdesire for a ***** le fight and he could get a chance at revenge froma 2024 loss to Nurmagomedov.
Taking on Kielholtz in her first action in over a year, Ditchevadid not have her most outstanding performance, and it was clear shewas shaking off some rust. Ditcheva would control the pace anddistance, grabbing momentum early and never letting it go. Aftergetting the rust off, it's time for the most anticipated women'smatchup in the PFL to take place against last year's tournamentchampion in Carmouche. Getting a recent win over VivianeAraujo, these two women are on a collision course and thereshould be no more time wasted.
Magomedov's performance proved there is another Russian star on thepromotion's roster. Part of the Nurmagomedov team, Magomedov waselectric in his manhandling of AngelAlvarez, chopping down his legs with brutal kicks andeventually getting the TKO finish in the second round. He shouldnow face off against the 2025 PFL Lightweight tournament champion.Davis just suffered a loss to Shabliy back in June, but could getright back into the top of the division if he can stop the momentumof Magomedov. Davis has said that he felt he fought his best in hisloss against Nurmagomedov, who knows Magomedov well, and he couldserve as a great test to see just how quickly he can get himselfback to ***** le contention.
Dayron arguably went through the toughest test of his career and itwas also his closest fight, as he pulled off a razor-thin decisionover RaufeonStots. His opponent was thoroughly shocked at the decision, butit saw Dayron keep his undefeated record intact. Even with the win,Dayron would benefit from another veteran test, and he'd get justthat in Pettis. Recently, Pettis was scheduled to square offagainst LewisMcGrillen-Evans but had to withdraw due to injury, if Pettiscan get healthy sooner than later, he would serve as another greattest for Dayron.

#nurmagomedov #pettis

Professional Fighters League's return to UBS Arena in LongIsland, New York, was punctuated by a majestic performance in themain event.

The PFL New York headliner saw current 155-pound ***** leholderUsmanNurmagomedov (22-0, 1 NC; 4-0 PFL) defend his championshipagainst ArchieColgan (13-1, 2-1 PFL). After a feeling-out couple of minutesin the center of the cage, Nurmagomedov connected with a head kickon his opponent's temple before following up with a big left handthat dropped Colgan. Shortly after the American managed torecompose himself and get back to his feet, Nurmagomedov followedup with more uppercuts that sent "King" to his knees. Smellingblood, the Dagestani landed more punches before referee KeithPeterson waved it off at the 3:42 mark of Round 1. In hispost-fight interview, Nurmagomedov was noncommittal about hisfuture in the promotion, since Friday's fight was the last on hiscurrent contract.

In the co-main event, DakotaDitcheva (16-0, 11-0 PFL) made a successful return from ayear-long injury hiatus, taking on former BellatorMMA ***** le challenger DeniseKielholtz (9-6, 1-1 PFL). "Dangerous" showed no cage rust,combining clean, sharp striking with effective takedowns, puttingany concerns about the injured hand to rest. Ditcheva made the mostof her reach, attacking from range with front kicks to the head andmidsection, while Kielholtz answered with a few spinning attacksbut overall posed little threat. The pace slowed in the thirdframe, drawing scattered boos as Ditcheva went the distance for thethird time in her otherwise finish-heavy career. When the dustsettled, all three judges scored it 30-27 for Ditcheva.

In a 157-pound catchweight tilt, AmruMagomedov (10-0, 2-0 PFL) kept his record unblemished byovercoming AngelAlvarez (11-3, 1-1 PFL). Magomedov attacked with a variety ofstrikes out of the gate, but his kicks proved to be his most lethalweapon. After "Salsa King," who failed to make the contracted155-pound weight limit the day before, crumpled from the damage,Magomedov poured it on until referee Dan Miragliotta stepped in at 4:28 ofRound 2.

An elitemiddleweight clash headlines PFL Charlotte: Tune on Friday, Aug. 7at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN.

The main card opener saw former Ares Fighting Championship205-pound kingpin MoustaphaDiakhate (6-0-1, 1-0 PFL) make a statement in his promotionaldebut, crushing last-minute replacement DarrylKing Walker (2-1, 0-1 PFL). "Black Black" hunted his opponentdown with strikes from the opening bell before taking the fight to the canvas and finishing "The Sacred Beast"from mount at 2:35 into the opening stanza.

In the featured fight on the preliminary card, LazaroDayron (11-0-1, 3-0-1 PFL) relied on his crisp striking andwell-timed takedowns to outpoint former interim Bellator MMA135-pound ***** leholder RaufeonStots (21-5, 1-3 PFL) at the end of a close contest, with twojudges scoring 29-28 in favor of "El Cazador" and one 29-28 for"Supa"; earlier, Sean Gauci(12-1, 2-0 PFL) dominated AllanB

Professional Fighters League (PFL) continues its Summer Series later TONIGHT (Fri., July 31, 2026) as PFL New York goes down from inside UBS Arena in Elmont, New York. Headlining the event will be a Lightweight ***** le fight as division kingpin, Usman Nurmagomedov, defends the strap against Archie Colgan.
Nurmagomedov (21-0) is looking to lock down his second-ever ***** le defense, with his first coming against Alfie Davis earlier this year, submitting him via triangle choke at PFL Dubai (see it again here). As for Colgan, he is undefeated (13-0) and is 2-0 under PFL's banner. Prior to that, Colgan had racked up a record of 7-0 under Bellator MMA's banner.
Many readers check in before, during and after the fights to share their thoughts on all of the action, as the main card kicks off at 7 p.m. ET on the ESPN App and ESPN2. Feel free to leave a comment (or several) about the bouts and chat with all the other Maniacs during the show — it's always a lot of fun!
In the co-main event, striking superstar, Dakota Ditcheva, returns after a rare year-long layoff in an effort to improve on her mint record of (15-0, 10-0 PFL), taking on long-time combat veteran, Denise Kielholtz, in a women's Flyweight (cough, squash) match. The two were set to throw down at PFL Dubai earlier this year, but the bout had to be rescheduled after Ditcheva withdrew with an injury (more details here).
155 lbs.: Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Archie Colgan – Nurmagomedov wins via first-round knockout
125 lbs.: Dakota Ditcheva vs. Denise Kielholtz -Ditcheva wins via unanimous decision – HIGHLIGHTS!
155 lbs.: Amru Magomedov vs. Angel Alvarez – Magomedov wins via second round TKO
205 lbs.: Moustapha Diakhate vs. Zacharia Nishimwe – Diakhate via first-round TKO
135 lbs.: Raufeon Stots vs. Lazaro Dayron – Dayron wins via split-decision
135 lbs.: Sean Gauci vs. Alan Begosso – Gauci wins via unanimous decision
170 lbs.: Jonathan Piersma vs. Omar El Dafrawy – Dafrawy wins via unanimous decision
125 lbs.: Montana De La Rosa vs. Tatiana Postarnakova- Postarnakova wins via split-decision
155 lbs.: Chamy Delva vs. Levan Khabalaev – Khabalaev wins via first-round TKO

#decision

Uncrowned has PFL New York live results, round-by-round updates, highlights and start time for the Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Archie Colgan and Dakota Ditcheva vs. Denise Kielholtz fight card on Friday night at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York. In the main event, PFL lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov defends his 155-pound ****** le against undefeated American challenger Archie Colgan in a five-round showdown.
Nurmagomedov (21-0, 1 NC) is widely considered one the top talents in the world outside of the UFC. The younger brother of UFC contender Umar Nurmagomedov and cousin of former UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov, Nurmagomedov is competing on the final fight of his PFL contract. He's a perfect 3-0 since joining the promotion following PFL's acquisition of Bellator in 2024, a run highlighted by two wins over Paul Hughes.
Colgan (13-0) is also an undefeated Bellator export. The Colorado native has won back-to-back decisions over Mansour Barnaoui and Jay Jay Wilson since transitioning to the PFL brand, the most recent of which came in October.
Top PFL star Dakota Ditcheva (15-0) makes his long-awaited return against Denise Kielholtz (9-5) in the night's three-round co-main event.
PFL New York starts at 4:30 p.m. ET with a five-fight preliminary card on ESPN+. The main card kicks off at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

#round #card #dakota

When Dakota Ditcheva makes her PFL return against Denise Kielholtz in New York City on Friday night, she will do so with a very different mindset.
It has been a year like no other for Ditcheva, who has been sidelined by injury since breaking her left hand against Sumiko Inaba in July 2025.
The British-Bulgarian, unbeaten in her 15-fight professional career, was scheduled to return against Keilholtz in February, but the fight was postponed after she suffered another significant injury, this time to her right hand.
For Ditcheva, who won the PFL flyweight tournament and $1m (£740,000) in 2024, her time away has underlined the importance of building a successful career outside the cage.
"It has been tough, and I have been really lucky that I am building things outside of the sport where I have other things I can do and keep busy," Ditcheva told BBC Sport.

#return

The official weigh ins for PFL New York took place earlier this morning ahead of tomorrow's "Usman vs. Colgan" fight card, which goes down Fri., July 31, 2026, inside UBS Arena in Belmont Park, New York.
In the main event, undefeated Lightweight standouts Usman Nurmagomedov and Archie Colgan both successfully made the championship mark ahead of their 155-pound Professional Fighters League (PFL) ****** le fight.
Nurmagomedov (21-0) weighed in at 154.8 pounds, while "King" Colgan (13-0) also came in at 154.8 pounds, making the highly anticipated ****** le fight official.
In the co-main event, PFL Flyweight superstar Dakota Ditcheva finally returns to action after one year away when she collides with longtime Bellator veteran Denise Kielholtz.
Ditcheva, who is one of the biggest betting favorites in mixed martial arts (MMA) history this week, also made weight with no issues. "Dangerous" tipped the scale at 125.8 pounds, while Kielholtz came in well under the limit at 121.8 pounds.

#fight #kielholtz

PFL commentator Dan Hardy thinks the historic betting line between Dakota Ditcheva and Denise Kielholtz at PFL New York is a disservice to both athletes.
Undefeated women's flyweight standout Ditcheva (15-0) will walk into Friday's co-main event matchup with Kielholtz (9-5) at UBS Arena on Long Island (ESPN) as a historic betting favorite. She can be found as high as -10,000 on various markets, which marks one of the widest lines ever in an MMA fight.
Although Ditcheva, 28, is a rightful favorite in the mind of nearly everyone, Hardy said the mass unpredictability of MMA could level the playing field in a way the odds don't reflect. He sees Kielholtz, 37, as having a sneaky game, and the fact Ditcheva is coming off a pair of significant injuries creates some intrigue.
"First of all, it's an MMA fight. I was talking to Matt Serra last night and he's one of the people that upset the odds (against Georges St-Pierre) back in the day before they had as much traction and attention," Hardy told MMA Junkie. "I feel for Denise because she's been put in that situation by a lot of people. Then when you see them face off, Dakota's huge for the weight. But Denise, at close range, she's got excellent judo, inside and outside leaps, side control, scarf hold position, taking the back. She could be a real test for Dakota because she's very, very good in the clinch at close range.
"I'm sure she's 100 percent feeling great, but there's always that little bit of hesitation when you're coming back from an injury, like, 'How is this going to work out?' Does it change Dakota's game in some ways? Does she want to kick more or clinch more? I'm excited to see what Dakota looks like."

#ditcheva #hardy #historic #betting

The Professional Fighters League has finalized the lineup for itsJuly 31 event at UBS Arena in Long Island, New York, featuring an11-bout card headlined by a lightweight **** le fight.

PFL New York is headlined by UsmanNurmagomedov vs. ArchieColgan. The card also features several notable matchups acrossthe main and preliminary cards.
PFL New York will see undefeated champion Nurmagomedov (21-0)defend his lightweight crown against unbeaten contender Colgan(13-0) in the main event.

In the co-headliner, top-ranked women's flyweight DakotaDitcheva (15-0) returns after more than a year on the sidelinesagainst DeniseKielholtz (9-5) in a bout with significant **** le implicationsat 125 pounds.

The main card also includes a light heavyweight matchup betweenDovletdzhanYagshimuradov (26-8-1) and SimeonPowell (12-2), while unbeaten lightweight prospect AmruMagomedov (10-0) squares off against AngelAlvarez (11-2).

The preliminary card is topped by a bantamweight clash betweenRaufeonStots (21-4) and unbeaten LazaroDayron (10-0-1). Elsewhere, JonathanPiersma (12-3) faces Omar ElDafrawy (15-6) in a 175-pound catchweight contest, Sean Gauci(11-1) faces AllanBegosso (10-4-1) at bantamweight and unbeaten light heavyweightprospects MoustaphaDiakhate (5-0-1) and ZachariaNishimwe (4-0) are also set to collide.

A lightweighttitle fight headlines PFL NY: Tune on Friday, July 31 at 7 p.m. ETon ESPN.

Other scheduled matchups include a light heavyweight bout betweenundefeated KhabibNabiev (12-0) and JamelleJones (15-8), a women's flyweight contest featuring MontanaDe La Rosa (13-9-1) against unbeaten TatianaPostarnakova (7-0) and a lightweight matchup pitting Chamy Delva(7-1) against LevanKhabalaev (4-0).

The prelims begin at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT on ESPN App, with the maincard airing at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ESPN.

#unbeaten #main