It seems that
Professional Fighters League fans will be waiting a while to
see Dakota
Ditcheva compete again.
Dakota Ditcheva reinjured both hands against Denise Kielholtz
at PFL New York and expects to be sidelined before a potential Liz
Carmouche fight
Ditcheva (16-0, 11-0 PFL) is once again dealing with hand injuries.
The 28-year-old earned a unanimous decision victory over Bellator
MMA veteran Denise
Kielholtz in the PFL New York co-main event, with “Dangerousâ€
sweeping the scorecards. The British fighter,
who is ranked No. 10 in Sherdog's women's pound-for-pound
rankings, revealed on her YouTube channel that she had
reinjured both hands.
“Breaking news. I am injured again,†Ditcheva said in the vlog. “I
broke my hands in the [Kielholtz] fight. I could feel it from the
second I started the second round. I didn’t tell my corner. I
didn’t tell anybody. I didn’t show it this time. And I didn’t
actually tell anybody until I got out of the cage.â€
The Kielholtz bout was Ditcheva's first fight in more than a year,
following her dominant victory against Sumiko
Inaba in July 2025. Against Inaba, the
American Top Team representative broke her hands for the first
time. She suffered another hand injury early this year, forcing her
out of a scheduled meeting with Kielholtz at PFL Dubai in February
before the fight was eventually rebooked.
Cris Cyborg's
final MMA bout headlines PFL Tampa: Tune in on Saturday, Aug. 22 at
10 p.m. ET on ESPN.
“I am back in splints until my surgeon has decided what the next
steps are going forward, which will be in the next few days,†she
added. “The good thing is I have no new breaks. It’s just that if I
explained the hand that wasn’t operated on originally that I broke
at the end of last year, I was told that if I didn’t go ahead with
the surgery at that time, there was a possibility that it would
break again in my fight. Unfortunately, I took the risk in not
doing the surgery because I was hoping that it would hold strong
without intervening with that kind of thing, and it didn't. It’s no
new injury.â€
Ditcheva said she expects to be sidelined for “a little bit.†When
she returns, she is expected to meet 2025 tournament champion
Liz
Carmouche in a highly anticipated matchup.
Brendan
Allen showcased his slick submission skills in a recent
grappling match.
Allen is among the top grapplers in mixed martial arts, further
cementing his standing as a dangerous submission threat in his
latest outing.
Brendan Allen submits UFC signing Magomedrasul Gasanov at ACBJJ
22
Allen (27-7) put his All-Stars title on the line in a grappling
match against Magomedrasul
Gasanov at ACBJJ 22 at Ora Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. While it
was an evenly matched affair, the
Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight locked in a slick
heel hook to force the tap just before the five-minute mark.
Allen had won the ACBJJ All-Stars title with a first-round
submission win over Ramazan
Kuramagomedov in July. “All In†is currently on a three-fight
winning streak in the UFC with two bonus-winning performances,
including wins over Marvin
Vettori, Reinier
de Ridder and Edmen
Shahbazyan.
Meanwhile, Gasanov (23-2) is a middleweight standout who signed
with the UFC earlier this year. While Gasanov was expected to make
his UFC debut in Abu Dhabi last month, he withdrew due to
undisclosed reasons.
Several fighters have backed Umar
Nurmagomedov to rebound from his latest loss in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship, offering their support on
social media.
Nurmagomedov (20-2) was a massive favorite going into his
UFC Shanghai clash against Yadong Song
(24-9-1). Song sent the Chinese crowd into a frenzy by putting
Nurmagomedov to sleep with an uppercut in the second round, marking
the first time the Dagestani has been finished in his professional
career.
Islam
Makhachev and Belal
Muhammad, among others, have since posted messages of support
online.
Islam Makhachev and Belal Muhammad send messages of support to
Umar Nurmagomedov
Muhammad, who is close to Nurmagomedov and the entire Dagestani
team, has extended his support. “Remember the Name†expects
detractors to kick the Russian 135-pounder while he's down. The
former UFC welterweight champion says Nurmagomedov is among the
humblest fighters he knows and is certain he will bounce back
stronger.
“The thing I hate most about this result is knowing people will
attack Umar and kick him while he's down,†Muhammad wrote on X.
“He's genuinely one of the quietest, humblest fighters you'll ever
meet. Keep your head up, brother. This sport has the highest highs
and the lowest lows. You'll be back.â€
Makhachev also took to social media to address the result.
“We are happy with what has been decreed for us,†Makhachev posted
on Instagram alongside a picture of himself with Nurmagomedov.
“Alhamdulillah. There are many challenges on the way to the goal,
but I’m sure you can handle it, brother.â€
The thing I hate most about this result is
knowing people will attack Umar and kick him while he's down. He's
genuinely one of the quietest, humblest fighters you'll ever meet.
Keep your head up, brother. This sport has the highest highs and
the lowest lows. You'll be back
Sean
O’Malley believes Yadong
Song's win over Umar
Nurmagomedov warrants a title shot in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Song (24-9-1) pulled off a massive upset, flatlining Nurmagomedov
(20-2) with an uppercut in the second round of their
UFC Shanghai headliner. O'Malley believes Song will be a
“problem†for former champion Merab
Dvalishvili and claims the two should fight if the latter
reclaims the bantamweight title at
UFC 333.
Sean O'Malley wants Yadong Song to challenge Merab Dvalishvili
if he wins the UFC 333 trilogy
Dvalishvili takes on current champ Petr Yan at
UFC 333 on Oct. 24 in Abu Dhabi in a trilogy bout. O'Malley wants
Song to challenge Dvalishvili if the Georgian defeats Yan.
“I want to see Song vs. Merab,†O'Malley said on Instagram. “I've
been saying for a couple of years now, before I even fought Merab
— Song is a problem for Merab. If Merab wins the title, Song vs.
Merab.â€
O'Malley (20-3) beat Song via unanimous decision this past January.
The Chinese 135-pounder has since rebounded with wins over Deiveson
Figueiredo and Nurmagomedov. Meanwhile, “Suga†stopped Aiemann
Zahabi at
UFC Freedom 250 this past June and is campaigning for a title
shot if Yan retains the belt, having already beaten the Russian
previously.