The 2025 PFL women’s flyweight tournament will feature eight fighters – but Dakota Ditcheva is not one of them.
Tuesday, the promotion announced the roster will include former Bellator women’s flyweight champions Liz Carmouche (22-8) and Juliana Velasquez (13-3), and former UFC title challenger Taila Santos (22-4) as well as Bellator alumni Kana Watanabe (13-3-1), Ilara Joanne (12-9), Jena Bishop (7-2), and Diana Avsaragova (6-1). Additionally, the promotion has signed Jungle Fight champion Elora Dana (7-0), who will make her promotional debut in the tournament.
The women’s flyweight tournament will be single elimination with $1 million going to the winning fighter. It kicks off April 11 at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla., and airs on ESPN2/ESPN+.
Specific quarterfinal matchups were not revealed as part of Tuesday’s announcement.
As for Ditcheva (14-0), who as recently as Monday indicated PFL had not made her aware of her immediate next move, she’ll compete in the PFL Champions Series, according to PFL co-founder Donn Davis.
“PFL Superstar Dakota Ditcheva won PFL Europe Championship 2023 then won PFL Global Season 2024… now moves to PFL Champions Series 2025,” Davis wrote Tuesday on X.
PFL Superstar Dakota Ditcheva won PFL Europe Championship 2023 then won PFL Global Season 2024 … now moves to PFL Champions Series 2025
Who will she fight next? Can’t Wait! #PFLMMA @dakotadofficial pic.twitter.com/dbOCDCavah
— Donn Davis (@DonnDavisPFL) February 18, 2025
Ditcheva, 26, has established herself as one of the hottest rising stars in mixed martial arts at the moment. She defeated Lisa Mauldin, Chelsea Hackett, Jena Bishop, and Taila Santos to claim the 2024 PFL women’s flyweight championship – and earn MMA Junkie’s 2024 Female Fighter of the Year award.
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