Dakota Ditcheva Opens Up On Injury That Sidelined Her From PFL Dubai, Provides Update On Comeback Plans: “Everything Happens For A Reason”
Dakota Ditcheva recently addressed the injury that has kept her out of action.
“Dangerous” was slated to face Denise Kielholtz on the main card of PFL Road To Dubai, scheduled for February 7. However, Ditcheva revealed last month that she had been forced to withdraw from the bout after suffering an injury.
The 27-year-old undefeated English standout, following the withdrawal, admitted she was left disappointed, having eagerly anticipated an early return to action to begin her 2026 campaign.
Dakota Ditcheva Reveals She Broke Her Hand While Training In Thailand
During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Dakota Ditcheva weighed in on the injury that ruled her out of her scheduled bout against Denise Kielholtz, revealing that she fractured her hand again while training in Thailand. The setback marked a recurrence of a previous issue, as “Dangerous” had first injured a different hand during her victory over Sumiko Inaba in July 2025.
“I was actually over in Thailand, so I was doing a little bit of training over there,” Dakota Ditcheva said. “I wanted to train a bit before I got into a strict camp, just to switch it up a little bit and work with some different bodies, and I ended up breaking my hand a little bit while I was over there, which wasn’t very good. I was really heartbroken, but everything happens for a reason. It’s been a tough year, I would say, because of the last hand break.”
Ditcheva added that she will undergo a medical evaluation of the injured hand and indicated that she expects to return to competition sometime in April or May.
“I’m hoping for an April or May return back in the cage. I’ll be fighting twice this year, maybe three times. We’ll see.”
Ditcheva last stepped into the cage at the PFL Champions Series in Cape Town, where she delivered a unanimous decision win over Inaba. “Dangerous” remains unbeaten at 15-0 as a professional, including a flawless 10-0 record in the PFL, punctuated by knockout victories over high-profile opponents such as Taila Santos, Valentina Scatizzi, and Chelsea Hackett.
