Dakota Ditcheva’s new PFL contract is apparently very lucrative.
‘Dangerous’ is regarded as one of the top fighters currently competing outside of the UFC in mixed martial arts.
It’s almost exactly one year since Ditcheva beat Sumiko Inaba at PFL Cape Town in her last outing, a bout that marked the first on a new contract for the British star.
The decision to extend her PFL stay until 2027 instead of a potential UFC switch divided opinion, but the recently revealed numbers on the contract may explain Ditcheva’s choice.
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If you’re Dana White for the day, name the UFC fighters you’d propose to the PFL as a trade for Dakota Ditcheva
Pitch your trade offer in the comments below.
Report says Dakota Ditcheva is the highest-paid PFL star on her likely last contract before UFC move
After agreeing a new deal in 2025, Ditcheva said she was happy to have secured her future but admitted it took some “time” to get what she felt was deserved.
Over a year on, the apparent numbers on the contract have now been disclosed by sports business figure Blake Avignon, who reports that the former Muay Thai competitor is the joint highest-paid PFL star alongside Usman Nurmagomedov.
He claims that Ditcheva has two fights remaining on her agreement, which she will be paid $1 million each for. The first is scheduled for July 31, when Ditcheva will return at PFL New York against Denise Kielholtz.
The report mentions that the 27-year-old still has her sights set on fighting the likes of Valentina Shevchenko in the UFC and will follow Kayla Harrison’s example by taking a sizable pay cut to make it happen.
“BREAKING: Multiple sources tell me Dakota Ditcheva’s current @PFLMMA contract is a two-fight deal worth $1M per fight,” Avignon wrote on X.
“The agreement puts Ditcheva alongside Usman Nurmagomedov as the highest-paid athletes in the PFL, with both earning $1M per fight.
“The expectation is that Ditcheva will first compete against Denise Kielholtz at #PFLNewYork on July 31 before potentially leveraging the final fight of her current deal in pursuit of a move to the @UFC.
“Those familiar with the situation also believe Ditcheva could ultimately accept a 50-60% pay cut to sign with the UFC, similar to the path taken by Kayla Harrison,” he added.
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Dakota Ditcheva may only have 5 years left in MMA
Fans have long been calling for Ditcheva to take her talents over to the UFC, and that trend picked up after the British star revealed her exit plan for the sport.
Given her desire to become a full-time mom, Ditcheva plans to retire by 32, giving her another five years as an active competitor inside the cage.
“I think about that all the time because I want to be a mom,” Ditcheva said when asked if she’s thought about life after fighting on The Ariel Helwani Show.
“I want to have a little bit of a normal life, and I don’t want to fight after I’m a mom. I think that’s another thing people don’t understand, for someone like me who’s dying to be a mom, I have to sacrifice all that kind of stuff for this.
“I’m happy to sacrifice it because I love fighting, but at the same time, it’s a big thing,” she continued. “So, for me, I’m like, ‘Right, 32, I’m done.’ If I haven’t been world champion by 32, which I definitely will be, I’m done.
“For me, it doesn’t matter which organization. Whoever you think the top girl is, if you say Shevchenko, as long as I’ve beaten her, I’m out. I wanna be a full-time mom. I wanna be done by then.”
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