Dakota Ditcheva Clarifies UFC Future

Dakota Ditcheva has clarified her immediate future in the sport. This weekend (2:00 AM on August 1st), the PFL returns to New York with two major bouts headlining the card, featuring Usman Nurmagomedov and Dakota Ditcheva back in action. Ditcheva, known as "Dangerous," hasn't competed since last July, when she sustained a broken hand during her unanimous decision victory over Sumiko Inaba.

The 28-year-old Brit was scheduled to return in February but was forced to withdraw from the fight due to ongoing issues with her hand. Over the past year, Ditcheva has been vocal about her frustrations with the PFL, feeling the organization hasn't provided her with as many frequent appearances as she would like.

She hopes her upcoming bout against Denise Kielholtz this weekend will be the first of potentially two fights for her this year. Recent reports surfaced regarding her PFL contract, suggesting she earns $1 million per fight and has only two remaining bouts under her current agreement.

The reports also claimed that the 28-year-old would be willing to take a 50% pay cut to transition to the UFC once her PFL contract expires. However, ahead of her fight this weekend, Dakota has set the record straight on her current contract terms, revealing she actually has five fights remaining.

"No, that's not true. I have five fights left on my contract," Ditcheva told the New York Post Sports. "As for the money, we'll keep that under wraps, but I don't have two fights left. I have more than that," she added.

In the past, there have been calls for the UFC to offer its former light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev in exchange for Ditcheva. However, with her now tied to the PFL for at least her next five bouts, fans' hopes of seeing her in the biggest MMA organization anytime soon are diminishing.

The 28-year-old recently stated her intention to retire at 32, explaining that she would not continue competing after becoming a mother.