Ditcheva becomes PFL top seed after stoppage win

Dakota Ditcheva (right) extended her unbeaten record to 12 fights

Dakota Ditcheva needed just over three minutes to finish Chelsea Hackett and become the top seed in the PFL’s flyweight tournament in Connecticut on Thursday.

The Briton secured her seventh stoppage in a row and her third successive first-round finish.

Ditcheva, 25, was too strong for Hackett, knocking her down within 30 seconds.

The Australian went down again after a painful left hook to the body, prompting the referee to step in and stop the contest.

Ditcheva stays undefeated and on 12 points after just two fights as she aims to win the PFL’s inaugural flyweight season.

The PFL use a season format, with fighters accumulating points based on wins and finishes to qualify for the knockout stages later this year.

Ditcheva will face Jena Bishop in the semi-finals and is now the hot favourite in the tournament.

The inaugural flyweight champion will also win £784,000.

Manchester's Brendan Loughnane is the only UK fighter to win a PFL title, having achieved the feat in 2022.

In the main event at the Mohegan Sun Arena, English heavyweight Linton Vassell’s points win over Valentin Moldavsky was not enough to secure him a place in the knockout stages.

Vassell, 41, needed a finish against Russian Moldavsky, who he already had fought twice, winning their most recent encounter in Bellator last year.

Vassell edged a split-decision victory as he did the more damage on the feet, dropping Moldavsky with a knee at one stage.

But it is Moldavsky who progresses to the semi-finals of the heavyweight tournament, where he will face Oleg Popov.