Dakota Dycheba is on her way to joining the ranks of fighters like Kayla Harrison, Amanda Nunes and Ronda Rousey. She could become the first PFL women’s flyweight to win a million dollars and cement her place among the best of all time at just 25 years old. The PFL European champion continues her dominating run with wins over Lisa Mauldin and Chelsea Hackett. Her next test will arguably be her toughest of the 2024 season: a playoff first bout against Jenna Bishop.
Jenna enters the season with a 1-1 record, coming off a win over the aforementioned Hackett and a loss to #2 seed and former UFC title challenger, Tayla Santos. At Mohegan Sun, Bishop fell just short, losing a split decision to Santos, but she has proven she can compete with the best in the division. Bishop will naturally slip into the playoffs and be the underdog in the betting against Ditcheva. Ditcheva has looked unbeatable so far in her career, but Bishop will be hoping to turn that around.
We haven’t seen many fights in Ditcheva’s career that last into the later rounds. As her career progresses, her opponents continue to improve, so it’s hard to expect this to continue. Bishop is a fighter with a path to victory. In this fight, she will be looking to apply pressure and be smart with the situation as she takes on a fighter with the nickname “Dangerous”. Ditcheva has controlled most of her fights in her last two PFL fights, leading them to perfect finishes. But against Hackett, she could be caught by the Australian. The problem for Hackett is that Ditcheva’s high fight IQ allowed her to bounce back and take full control of the short-lived bout. Bishop will need to use her fight IQ and ground game to force Ditcheva to take risks. We’ve never seen her have to use it. Bishop has a high level of ground game and the training Ditcheva received at American Top Team will be put to the test on the ground. She’ll need to show this if she’s going to win and advance to the finals.
Dakota Dycheva is so dominant that she isn’t often tested. In 12 professional races, she has finished all 12 and taken first place in 10 of them.st Ditcheva will be looking to make it on the stand in this bout. If successful, she could keep her momentum going into the finals. Her stand-up is world class thanks to her training with American Top Team and her brother Cody. If this bout goes on the stand, it will be a long night for Bishop. “Versatile” is the best word to describe Ditcheva, and I expect her ground game to be top-notch as well. But if she can avoid trouble with Bishop, she could easily punch her ticket to the finals and solidify her status as the face of the PFL.
prediction: I expect Ditcheva to get the job done. This will be her toughest test yet. I expect her to show her ability to overcome adversity when the going gets tough. This could be a learning experience for her future opponents, especially Liz Carmouche and Tayla Santos. In Nashville, both Carmouche and Santos are scheduled to meet in the other semifinal for the PFL Women’s Flyweight Championship on August 2nd.
