'It's been difficult' - the champion who ran out of challengers

Ditcheva has stopped 13 of her 14 opponents

PFL Champions Series: Dakota Ditcheva v Sumiko Inaba

Date: Saturday, 19 July Venue: Grand Arena, Cape Town, South Africa

When Dakota Ditcheva became the first British woman to win an MMA world title, she had no idea of the frustration that would follow.

After the 26-year-old's historic win over Taila Santos in the PFL flyweight final - her fourth victory in a golden 2024 - she had all the momentum.

Congratulations poured in from icons of women's MMA, including Amanda Nunes, Cris Cyborg and Joanna Jedrzejczyk, but soon the narrative would develop.

The question starting to form on everybody's lips after that career-high moment in November was "what's next?".

Ditcheva was ready to fight anyone, but the dominant way in which she had dispatched her opponents - including three first-round stoppages and one in the second round - meant there were no worthy challengers left in the promotion.

"Obviously, with me walking through them last year it's made it difficult," Ditcheva tells BBC Sport.

"It's definitely frustrating. I did so well last year - I fought in the cage four times and obviously the last one was a big one and drew a lot of attention, but now I felt like my momentum had kind of dropped off.

"Santos was the top girl in the division and the fact I walked through her so easily is another thing which made this year so difficult. They [the PFL] didn't know which direction to put me in."

Manchester's Ditcheva is under contract with the PFL so cannot freely join another promotion to seek new challengers.

Ditcheva says she considered entering the PFL's flyweight tournament again this year, but she declined because many of the fighters involved competed in 2024.

She points to this year's flyweight tournament finalist Jena Bishop, who Ditcheva knocked out in the first round last August, as an example.

"I wanted to fight the next level and keep moving up, so that's been the tough thing this year," said Ditcheva.

After all the waiting, the PFL has matched Ditcheva with American Sumiko Inaba, with the pair set to fight at the Champions Series in Cape Town, South Africa on Saturday.

With the majority of her theoretically possible opponents competing in the flyweight tournament, Ditcheva says Inaba was selected based on her winning eight of her nine fights and "there's no denying her skill level". It remains to be seen how much of a threat the 34-year-old from Hawaii will present.

This event marks the first time a major MMA show has taken place in Africa.

Despite being frustrated by the eight-month wait to secure an opponent, Ditcheva can see a positive to her time away from the cage - the buzz of anticipation for her return to action.

Her elite striking has led to 12 knockouts in 14 fights, making Ditcheva one of the most exciting British fighters around.

"I fought four times last year which gave people a lot, but now I feel they're all waiting for me to fight," said Ditcheva.

"I'm trying to see it as people are looking forward to seeing me fight more now because I've been out for so long."

Inaba last competed in September 2024, beating Mackenzie Stiller.

"She's been around longer than I have. I don't know whether she is the fight I would have chosen, but then again I don't know what fight I would have chosen," said Ditcheva.

"I'm just happy they were able to give me a fight. I'm looking forward to it and I'm expecting a tough fight."

Ditcheva and Inaba compete in what is billed as the co-main event at the Grand Arena, with American Johnny Eblen defending his middleweight title against Spain's Costello van Steenis in the headline fight.

Eblen is the reigning Bellator middleweight champion, last defending it against Fabian Edwards in October last year, but the brand has since been dissolved after the PFL acquired it during a merger in 2023.

To replace the Bellator title, the PFL has manufactured a new belt to give to the winner.