"Probably would’ve knocked me out” - UFC-linked Dakota Ditcheva opens up on sparring her mother

Dakota Ditcheva is one of the brightest prospects in MMA right now, having recently secured the 2024 PFL women's flyweight title against Taila Santos, a former UFC title challenger. The 26-year old has competed a staggering seven times since 2023, winning all seven bouts via stoppage.

A potential move to the Dana White-led UFC has been rumored for Ditcheva's future. But for now, she is focused on what her current promotion can provide her, competition-wise.

During a recent interview with talkSPORT MMA, she revealed that she would spar her mother, Lisa Howarth, growing up. Howarth herself is a former ISKA, WKA, and WPKL kickboxing champion with a record of 19-3-3, 1 NC.

'Dangerous' said:

"My mom used to spar me a little bit, we used to spar each other... When I was younger I was quite tough, very aggressive, didn't really listen as much as I used to now. If you put me against people in the gym [growing up] I would probably go hard when I should be going on a normal level."

She continued:

"She used to pad-up... And I used to have a better spar with her than I did with other people... Yeah [I punched her], but she's also punching her daughter as well... We were definitely not going full out. She probably would've knocked me out at the point anyway. She knows what she's doing."

Catch Dakota Ditcheva's comments below (8:25):

---

Dakota Ditcheva addresses calls for her to move to the UFC

Dakota Ditcheva is unequivocally the queen of the Professional Fighters League (PFL). She made her promotional debut in August 2022 and has since gone 9-0, with every win coming via stoppage. Her well-rounded skillset combined with her devastating kickboxing has seen her catch the eyes of many MMA fans globally.

Her dominance in the PFL, particularly her ability to finish Taila Santos, a former UFC title challenger who had not been stopped in the UFC, has seen calls for 'Dangerous' to join the world's biggest MMA promotion.

During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, she addressed that, saying:

"I just feel like the PFL deserve the respect. Like I said, they picked me up in Europe when I was known but I wasn't massive. I'm not saying I'm massive now but I've got a lot of attention recently. They've helped me build that... They didn't even have a flyweight division until I signed... They might not be the UFC, but they're still an amazing promotion."

Catch Dakota Ditcheva's comments below (18:28):