Dakota Ditcheva To Earn $1 Million Per Fight in New Landmark PFL Agreement
Dakota Ditcheva is reportedly set to earn $1 million for each of her next two PFL fights, placing her alongside lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov at the top of the promotion’s reported pay scale. The figure is an exceptional guarantee in MMA.
Multiple sources say the unbeaten British flyweight has agreed to a two-fight PFL deal worth $1 million per appearance. If accurate, the deal gives Ditcheva a guaranteed $2 million across two bouts and changes the stakes around her next move after more than a year disrupted by hand injuries.
Dakota Ditcheva Reportedly Set for $1 Million Per Fight in Huge PFL Deal
Ditcheva is scheduled to return on July 31 at PFL New York, where she meets Dutch veteran Denise Kielholtz in the women’s flyweight co-main event at UBS Arena on Long Island. The card is topped by Nurmagomedov’s lightweight title defence against unbeaten challenger Archie Colgan. The PFL lists Ditcheva at No. 1 in its flyweight rankings, while Kielholtz is No. 6.
The 27-year-old Manchester fighter has not competed since July 2025, when she beat Sumiko Inaba by unanimous decision at PFL Cape Town. The English striker suffered a broken hand during that fight, then fractured another hand in training in Thailand, forcing her withdrawal from a planned February meeting with Kielholtz in Dubai.
Her rise has made a large new deal plausible from a promotional standpoint. Ditcheva won the 2024 PFL women’s flyweight season by stopping former UFC title challenger Taila Santos in the second round, earning the $1 million tournament prize. She went 4-0 that season with four knockouts and extended her professional record to 14-0. The Inaba victory moved her to 15-0.
The reported two-fight agreement leaves room for a major decision after Kielholtz. A win in New York would give Ditcheva one bout remaining under the deal. A UFC switch would likely require a lower guaranteed purse than the reported PFL terms, a path Kayla Harrison previously took after building her profile in the PFL. Harrison signed with the UFC in 2024 after winning two PFL lightweight tournaments, trading the league’s tournament-prize structure for a run at UFC titles.
For Ditcheva, the immediate task is Kielholtz. The 37-year-old is a former Bellator kickboxing world champion with a 9-5 MMA record, and their three-round contest is expected to test Ditcheva’s return following consecutive injury setbacks.
