When Dakota Ditcheva turned the primary British lady to win an MMA world title, she had no thought of the frustration that will observe.
After the 26-year-old’s historic win over Taila Santos within the PFL flyweight last – her fourth victory in a golden 2024 – she had all of the momentum.
Congratulations poured in from icons of ladies’s MMA, together with Amanda Nunes, Cris Cyborg and Joanna Jedrzejczyk, however quickly the narrative would develop.
The query beginning to type on everyone’s lips after that career-high second in November was “what’s subsequent?”.
Ditcheva was able to combat anybody, however the dominant approach during which she had dispatched her opponents – together with three first-round stoppages and one within the second spherical – meant there have been no worthy challengers left within the promotion.
“Clearly, with me strolling by them final yr it is made it tough,” Ditcheva tells BBC Sport.
“It is positively irritating. I did so effectively final yr – I fought within the cage 4 instances and clearly the final one was an enormous one and drew lots of consideration, however now I felt like my momentum had form of dropped off.
“Santos was the highest lady within the division and the actual fact I walked by her so simply is one other factor which made this yr so tough. They [the PFL] did not know which route to place me in.”
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