Undefeated mixed martial arts star Dakota Ditcheva made headlines last year when she stepped on the scales for the PFL European Finals weigh-in in Dublin.
PFL star Dakota Dycheva is known for her in-cage skills, but her fight weigh-in went viral and garnered 20 million views.
Ditcheva, 25, has established herself as one of MMA's hottest prospects in recent years, boasting a perfect 10-0 record, with all but one victory coming by stoppage. . The former Muay Thai standout stopped Valentina Scatizzi in his last fight to win $100,000 and be crowned PFL European Champion.
When Dicheva stepped on the scale to be weighed the day before her victory, she had no idea the video would garner so much attention online. The clip has been viewed over 20 million times on her Instagram account and gained over 100,000 new followers. “It's just crazy. There were obviously a number of reasons why this went viral,” Dicheva said. mirror fighting.
“When I shot the video, I was like, 'I don't know if I should post this,' and my brother said the same thing. But I was like, 'Screw it, I'm going to post this.' And then it quickly became… It's spread. This sport has some crazy, weird fans, but it is what it is and you can't change it.
“I don't really look at the comments and I obviously saw the comments on that video, but it all went over my head. I posted it on Instagram and then I left it alone and I'm letting Instagram do its thing. It's the whole social media thing.'' It messes with your head in some way, but that's the important part. [of fighting]. It's crazy how things work, but that's the way it is. ”
Dicheva will return to the Smart Cage for the first time this year when she takes on Lisa Mauldin in the PFL's 2024 regular season. The format of the tournament will be similar to last year's European season, in which Ditcheva competed, but the winners of the six divisions will receive a hefty $1 million prize.
“You can't switch off in a tournament format,” Dicheva added. “As much as you want to win a match and celebrate, you're always thinking about the next round. I'm focused on winning this match against Lisa, but after you win, there's another round. I know it can be tough mentally.''It's physically draining, but I have a great team around me. ”
