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Brett Okamoto
After being limited to one appearance in 2025, PFL star Dakota Ditcheva will kick off next year with a non-title flyweight matchup against Denise Kielholtz on Feb. 7 in Dubai.
PFL officials announced the pairing on Monday. The event, PFL: Road to Dubai, is the first on the promotion’s 2026 calendar and is headlined by a lightweight title fight between Usman Nurmagomedov and Alfie Davis.
Ditcheva (15-0), of Manchester, has not fought since she suffered a broken hand in a decision win over Sumiko Inaba in July. The former world tournament winner was forced to go the distance for the first time in her career in that bout. Immediately after, Ditcheva revealed she had signed a new, multifight contract with the PFL.
Ditcheva, 27, won the PFL world tournament in 2024, defeating veterans Taila Santos and Jena Bishop along the way.
Kielholtz (8-5) is a former professional kickboxer and Bellator MMA title challenger. She challenged Juliana Velasquez for the Bellator title in 2021 and lost via split decision.