Dakota Ditcheva will not participate in the 2025 PFL flyweight tournament, which features fighters like Liz Carmouche, Juliana Velasquez, and newcomers Elora Dana and Diana Asvaragova, after she dominated the 2024 season but chose not to commit to another tournament run.
Dakota Ditcheva won’t be aiming for a championship repeat in 2025. Nope, she’s out of the picture this time around.
The PFL has just announced the lineup for this season’s flyweight tournament. It’s an exciting mix! Former Bellator champ Liz Carmouche is in, along with Juliana Velasquez. Veterans Taila Santos and Kana Watanabe are joining them too.
But guess who’s missing? Yep, Ditcheva. She was on fire last season, clinching the title with a second-round TKO of Santos. A cool $1 million prize came with it. Not shocking, though—Ditcheva recently mentioned to MMA Fighting that she hadn’t signed up for another go.
Here’s the full flyweight field:
– Taila Santos (22-4)
– Liz Carmouche (22-8)
– Kana Watanabe (13-3-1)
– Juliana Velasquez (13-3)
– Jena Bishop (7-2)
– Elora Dana (7-0)
– Ilara Joanne (12-9)
– Diana Asvaragova (6-1)
Santos, Carmouche, Watanabe, Velasquez, Bishop, and Joanne are making their return. Meanwhile, Dana and Asvaragova are new faces in the PFL scene.
This announcement could mean some juicy rematches! Remember when Carmouche and Santos clashed in the 2024 semifinal? Santos took that one by unanimous decision. Oh, and Bishop faced Ditcheva in the other semi.
Watanabe, Velasquez, and Joanne are eager to climb back after missing the 2024 post-season mark.
Elora Dana comes in hot with a 7-0 record from Brazil’s Jungle Fight promotion. Diana Asvaragova crosses over from Bellator, having won her first four fights there. Her last bout? A loss to Justine Kish via unanimous decision in August 2023.
Still waiting on those tournament seedings… Any guesses?
Mark your calendars! The 2025 PFL flyweight tournament kicks off on April 11. Catch all the action on ESPN2 and ESPN+.