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Dakota Ditcheva responds to Liz Carmouche, complaints about her being the ‘diva of the division’ in PFL

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2 months ago

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Dakota Ditcheva responds to Liz Carmouche, complaints about her being the ‘diva of the division’ in PFL

Dakota Ditcheva has arguably become the face of the PFL, but with that level of celebrity comes scrutiny, whether it's valid or not.

Originally scheduled to compete in February after recovering from an injury, Ditcheva was supposed to face Bellator veteran Denise Kielholtz, which wasn't exactly on the top of anybody's wish list with-top ranked flyweight contender Liz Carmouche lingering out there as the biggest and best possible challenger. Sadly, Ditcheva suffered another injury that delayed her comeback until Friday's PFL event in New York where she's once again matched up against Kielholtz rather than Carmouche.

But Ditcheva makes it clear that just like when she was fighting in February, she didn't ask for anybody specifically as an opponent and she refutes any criticism that she's getting special treatment due to her growing popularity.

“I didn't choose this,†Ditcheva told MMA Fighting. “PFL came to me and said ‘do you want to fight Denise?' People talk about me being this golden child and the diva of the division type of thing. I don't ever pick my opponents. I let PFL come to me with whoever they want to put me against and I think they felt like Denise made sense. The whole division has been busy without me. There's a lot of new girls in the division now. I had to fit in with them. I can't be out for a year and then come back and say I want this and this and this.

“I just came back and said I'm ready to fight, they said let's give Denise the fight she was promised. She won her fight in Dubai so it makes sense and that's just what I went with. If they gave me anyone else, I would have been like OK. I just fight whoever they give me.â€

When it comes to a potential showdown against Carmouche in the future, Ditcheva openly admits that's the ideal matchup for the flyweight division, especially if a championship is involved.

That said, Ditcheva scoffed at the idea that she's avoiding Carmouche or that the PFL is protecting her from a fight she's somehow destined to lose.

“Liz has had her comments but if we end up fighting, we end up fighting,†Ditcheva said. “That's not something I'm avoiding at all. If that's the fight that's made next, that's the fight you will see.

“As regards to the belt, no one's got the belt yet and I am not bothered if I fight for it or not. Because as long as I beat whoever they give me and I'm sat at the top, I don't really care. I would fight Liz for no belt as long as I'm fighting for my No. 1 spot. I feel like my No. 1 spot is more important than the belt for me.â€

Ditcheva admits trash talking has never been her thing so she didn't really pay too much attention to anything that Carmouche has said during her absence.

But Ditcheva has heard past opponents say plenty of crazy things trying to get under her skin and thus far nobody has been remotely successful. She doesn't expect that to change for Carmouche or anybody else for that matter.

“It just sounds so familiar to everyone else,†Ditcheva said. “At this point, I'm just like I'm sure Liz is a really nice lady. But I'm not bothered by the whole trash talk thing. I'm not bothered about speaking bad on Liz.

“Props to her. Great fighter. If we end up fighting, we end up fighting but until then you're not getting any air time out of me.â€

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MMA

Mikey Musumeci targets UFC flyweight title with MMA transition

Published

35 minutes ago

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September 30, 2026

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Mikey Musumeci targets UFC flyweight title with MMA transition
Mikey
Musumeci is close to transitioning to mixed martial arts and is
targeting gold in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Musumeci, 30, defeated Bryce
Mitchell at UFC BJJ 11 on Sept. 24 and subsequently revealed
that he plans to make his MMA debut soon. The jiu-jitsu standout
eventually wants to become the UFC's flyweight champion but knows
that remains a distant goal.

Musumeci is developing his striking as he prepares for his MMA
debut

Musumeci is currently focused on developing his striking so that he
can take the fight to the ground without getting knocked out.

“My goal would be to go to the UFC at 125 pounds and win that
belt,†Musumeci told Ariel Helwani. “I have a lot of work to do
before then. That's us seeing super far ahead. One match at a time.
Let's get my level up, let's get me not to get killed standing and
let's get me to the floor. I think people are going to be really
surprised at my level.â€

Musumeci also revealed that he had planned to make his MMA debut
the day after his grappling win over Mitchell. While that matchup
fell through, Musumeci said he is in talks with multiple promotions
about making his MMA debut soon.

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MMA

Marcus McGhee says UFC has ‘pushed me back’ since Petr Yan fight

Published

3 hours ago

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September 30, 2026

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Marcus McGhee says UFC has ‘pushed me back’ since Petr Yan fight
Marcus
McGhee believes the biggest fight of his career halted his
momentum.

McGhee (11-2) went undefeated in his first four
Ultimate Fighting Championship outings before taking a massive
step up in competition against Petr Yan last
year. Yan earned a unanimous decision over McGhee and went on to
win the bantamweight title against Merab
Dvalishvili in his next fight.

“The Maniac†claims the promotion has held him back since that
result, but he doesn't know why.

Marcus McGhee questions his UFC matchmaking ahead of UFC
332

McGhee returned to the win column in June against unranked John
Yannis, who is now 1-2 in the UFC. He is scheduled to return at
UFC
332 on Oct. 3 against Bernardo
Sopai.

McGhee admits that he accepted the matchup against Sopai (13-3) to
stay active. He believes the loss to Yan led to the recent decline
in his level of opposition and that the UFC has been pushing him
back since the defeat.

In an interview ahead of his Octagon return, McGhee pointed to
Payton
Talbott co-headlining UFC 332 and Raoni
Barcelos headlining
UFC Vegas 121 on Saturday while questioning the UFC's
matchmaking process.

“Seems like it hindered me,†McGhee told Full Send MMA. “I wouldn't
even say [ranked opponents] are not ready to fight. I just think
that the UFC decides who they want to fight and who they don't want
to fight. Because me and Payton Talbott are both on this card.
Raoni Barcelos fought last week. There's plenty of guys that are
available, but they make their matchups for whatever reason they
make their matchups… But I do feel like they have been pushing me
back since [the Petr Yan] fight. So, I'm gonna keep doing my job,
keep showing up, keep winning these fights.â€

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MMA

Ex-IBF champion Lee Selby gets unbeaten test in BKB 61 main event

Published

6 hours ago

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September 30, 2026

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Ex-IBF champion Lee Selby gets unbeaten test in BKB 61 main event
Lee “Lightning†Selby will headline BKB 61 against Ollie “The
Death†Sentance on Nov. 14 at Indigo at The O2 in London.

BKB announced the all-British matchup Tuesday, with the former IBF
featherweight champion set to make his second appearance in the
promotion's Trigon. Selby had previously been confirmed for the
event, but his opponent had not been announced.

Lee Selby faces 2-0 bare-knuckle finisher Ollie Sentance in
London

Selby retired from professional boxing in 2022, bringing an end to
a career in which he captured the IBF featherweight championship.
He made his BKB debut at BKB 55 in June, stopping Antonio Rizzo via
second-round TKO.

The 39-year-old Welshman will now make his first BKB appearance in
London, where he will face another undefeated bare-knuckle fighter
in Sentance.

“I'm really looking forward to getting back in the Trigon and
fighting in London again,†Selby said. “Ollie is a tough opponent
and I know he'll be coming to bring a fight, so I'm expecting a
proper battle. It's always special fighting in front of the British
fans and I'm excited to headline BKB 61 and put on a great night
for everyone at The O2.â€

Sentance enters the matchup with a 2-0 bare-knuckle record, with
both victories coming by stoppage. The Kidderminster,
Worcestershire, native made his BKB debut in February, stopping
Nico Earwaker in the fourth round before adding another TKO victory
over Corey Healey at BKB 55.

The 29-year-old competed in several combat sports, including mixed
martial arts and kickboxing, before moving into bare-knuckle
boxing.

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