Dakota Ditcheva has seemingly had momentum on her side since she first stepped foot into a mixed martial arts cage.

After scooping the PFL Europe flyweight title in 2023, Ditcheva is showing no signs of slowing.

Ditcheva began the 2024 flyweight campaign with a devastating first-round technical knockout victory against Lisa Mauldin.

The finishing sequence began with a knee to the body and concluded with a series of punches as Mauldin collapsed to the floor.

In her second outing of the season, Ditcheva earned another first-round stoppage victory with her hands and knees doing the business against Australian Chelsea Hackett.

Jena Bishop lined up against Ditcheva in the semi-finals and it was another authoritative performance from the Mancunian.

Ditcheva's Muay Thai background came to the fore as she stabbed a kick into Bishop's stomach before finishing with her hands.

Dakota Ditcheva may have only had 13 fights but we could probably stitch together a top 10 finishes for the formidable flyweight.

Take a look at the video above to see just how relentless Ditcheva can be.

Image source, Getty Images

Taila Santos hails from Brazil and is a name that will be familiar to fans of the UFC.

Santos made her professional mixed martial arts debut in 2013 and she won a contract with the UFC after beating Estefani Almeida on Dana White's Contender Series - taking her overall record to 15-0.

The 31-year-old suffered her first defeat on debut with the UFC but bounced back to win four in a row, including a decision win against Liverpool's Molly McCann and a submission victory against Scotland's Joanne Wood.

That winning streak sealed a shot at flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko but Santos came up short, losing via split-decision at UFC 275 in June 2022 - just 14 months after Dakota Ditcheva had made her professional mixed martial arts debut.

A loss against Erin Blanchfield in August 2023 brought an end to Santos' time in the UFC and she moved to the PFL.

Santos has beaten Ilara Joanne, Jena Bishop and Liz Carmouche during the 2024 flyweight season to set up a mouth-watering final against Ditchova.

The Brazilian, like Ditchova, trained Muay Thai from a young age before transitioning to mixed martial arts.

Dakota Ditcheva doesn't like to hang around for too long inside the cage - only once has she gone the distance in her 13-fight career.

The 26-year-old has seen the third round on two occasions and was taken into the second round once, with her other 10 trips to the cage ending early.

Each of Ditcheva's last four fights have finished in first round victories.

Former Muay Thai world champion Ditcheva has displayed some incredible striking skills to boost her standing as the PFL's most marketable female star.

"I definitely do have the spotlight on me. I feel like it's everything my performances deserve but at the same time I do feel a little guilty," said Ditcheva.

"I do get a bit of hate for the attention I get. But my highlights are interesting to watch, my striking is what excites people, so I feel my hard work is building that attention."

You may or may not have noticed the fighters using elbow strikes tonight, which is common in MMA, but not the PFL.

The PFL usually ban the use of elbows in its tournament format to limit the amount of cuts, aiding fighters' recovery between bouts with athletes having to fight four times in a year.

The promotion announced this week, however, that elbow strikes would be allowed at tonight's event, presumably because it's the finals so fighters will have more time to recover before the start of next season.

Image source, PFL

Tonight's card marks the first time that major mixed martial arts world titles have been on up for grabs at an event hosted in Saudi Arabia.

We've already seen Denis Goltsov win the heavyweight title, Gadzhi Rabadanov take home the lightweight title, Shamil Musaev win the welterweight title and Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov claim the light-heavyweight title.

Dakota Ditcheva and Taila Santos have the opportunity to make history by becoming the first females to claim an MMA world title in the Kingdom.

This card signals a continuation of Saudi Arabia's multi-billion pound investment in sport, but the country continues to face criticisms for using it to divert attention away from its poor human rights record - a process dubbed 'sportswashing'.

Image source, PFL

Dakota Ditcheva has made no secret of her love for Manchester City and has earned a reputation for emulating the celebrations of some of favourite players after wrapping up victories in the cage.

After beating Cornelia Holm, Ditcheva sat cross-legged and pretended to meditate - a celebration made famous by Man City striker Erling Haaland.

Ditcheva then opted for one out of Phil Foden's locker, getting on to one knee and shooting her fingers, after stopping Lisa Mauldin earlier this season.

That's got us thinking... who has the best celebrations in fight sports?

Get your suggestions in via all the usual channels - #bbcmma on X, WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply).

Wow.

We're very quickly heading towards the two Britons - Dakota Ditcheva and Brendan Loughnane - being in action.

Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov has just sealed the light-heavyweight title in swift fashion.

Ditcheva is up next with Loughnane closing out the show.

Image source, PFL

Image source, Getty Images

Since making her PFL debut in August 2022, Dakota Ditcheva has emerged as one of the most talented flyweights on the planet.

Ditcheva, aged just 26, boasts an unblemished 13-0 record, including 11 knockout victories, one submission one and has only got the distance on one occasion.

The Manchester-born fighter has brushed aside all before her.

Just under 12 months ago, Ditcheva beat Italy's Valentina Scatizzi to win the PFL Europe flyweight title and took home a cheque for £78,548.

Tonight, it's the PFL flyweight world title and £785,000 on the line when she lines up against Taila Santos.

Brazil's Santos spent five years in the UFC and challenged for the flyweight title prior to joining the PFL earlier this year.

"I know who I'm up against, I used to watch her in a different promotion and I'm impressed by her. I'm a bit surprised [that I'm regarded as the underdog] but I think people are realising what I'm capable of now," said Ditcheva.

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester duo Brendan Loughnane and Dakota Ditcheva have their sights set on world titles, £785,000 and a place in the history books.

The pair feature in the Professional Fighters League 2024 season finale in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia tonight.

Loughnane, who won the PFL featherweight title in 2022, is looking to become the first British two-time world champion in a major mixed martial arts promotion.

Flyweight Ditcheva is attempting to become the first British woman to win a mixed martial arts world title.

Loughnane faces the difficult task of trying to defeat Russian Timur Khizriev, while Ditcheva faces the vastly experienced Brazilian Taila Santos.