Emotional Dakota Ditcheva fires back at hate as she undergoes surgery on broken hands

Dakota Ditcheva has opened up about dealing with online hate following her latest PFL win.

The 28-year-old British MMA star extended her undefeated record to 16-0 at PFL New York in July before Usman Nurmagomedov defended his lightweight title in the main event.

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Despite getting her arm raised with a unanimous decision victory against Denise Kielholtz in her first fight in over a year, Ditcheva experienced an emotional roller coaster post-fight.

Not only had ‘Dangerous’ broken both hands during the contest — the exact injuries that kept her out of competition until last month — she was also very disappointed with her performance.

Ditcheva had told talkSPORT.com ahead of her return that she is ‘always upset’ when she fails to deliver a finish, highlighting pressure from herself and fans to continue her never-ending highlight reel.

Although she wasn’t interviewed after her win, something Ditcheva said was maybe because a team member had informed the PFL of her injuries, it was clear she was upset post-fight.

And speaking on a behind-the-scenes Uncrowned Film, she explained why.

Dakota Ditcheva on ‘hard’ online hate

“My performance was quite clean — I was patient and took my time. I did a lot of things we’d worked on over the camp,” Ditcheva said.

“But, obviously, having a lot of stoppages, I want to entertain fans. It was the first time I’ve been booed as well, which wasn’t the nicest.

“I just wanted something a bit more exciting because I know what I’m capable of.

“It’s way, way, way more than that. I think that’s probably what it was. I wanted to give the fans a little more.

“I’ve cried a few times tonight… I expect too much from myself sometimes.

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“The odd few comments you see online, people saying I’m not facing the right people, sometimes play on your mind a bit.

“So that’s why I tend not to read comments, as I probably get more upset at things like that than I do if I was to block it out and look at my performance.

“I am quite a soft person out of the cage, so for me it is hard. I always say social media is something I’m good at, but it’s not something I would do if I didn’t have to.

“I don’t like the hate. I’m too much of a soft person to deal with and go through that kind of stuff.

Visibly emotional, she continued: “It’s hard. That’s why I cherish my family so much because I genuinely couldn’t do it without them.

“I would be sat in my room right now crying, even though I’ve just won my comeback fight and been paid what I’ve been paid, which will continue to change my family’s life.

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“There are so many good things and I just sometimes struggle to see that without my family reminding me all the time.

“I cherish that I’ve got them around me because I would probably be in a pretty low place otherwise.

“I don’t care how much hate I get. I’m still learning, evolving and I’m going to be around for a very long time either way.

“So people better buckle up and shut up.”

Ditcheva to have surgery this week

Ditcheva previously explained in a post-fight update on YouTube that she felt her hands were broken from the second round but didn’t tell anyone until after the fight.

The good news is she has suffered ‘no new breaks,’ rather reinjuring previous damage to her hands.

Having opted against surgery after breaking her left hand in a previous fight at PFL Africa in July 2025, both of Ditcheva’s hands now require surgery.

Ditcheva said via Instagram on Monday that she was ‘having my hands fixed tomorrow’ and an update is expected in the near future.

“This is not going to take me out. My career is not done,” she stated when breaking the news of her new injuries.

“Although it felt like that once again, I will be back. I’m hopefully going to be back quicker than I was last time. I will be in the gym, working and getting ready.

“We’re just ready to go again with the healing process.”