Dakota Ditcheva says she is surprised to be the favourite as she bids to become the first British woman to win a mixed martial arts world title.
Manchester’s Ditcheva will face Tailia Santos from Brazil for the Professional Fighter’s League (PFL) flyweight belt and $1m (£789,000) prize in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Friday.
Unbeaten Ditcheva, 26, is tipped to win against former UFC flyweight title challenger Santos, ending Britain’s wait for a first female world champion.
“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 but I think people are realising what I’m capable of now,” said Ditcheva.
There have only been five British MMA world champions and all were men.
Michael Bisping (middleweight), Leon Edwards (welterweight) and Tom Aspinall (interim-heavyweight) have won UFC titles, while Liam McGeary (light-heavyweight) is a former Bellator champion.
Meanwhile, Brendan Loughnane – who fights Russia’s Timur Khizriev in the featherweight main event, has the chance to become Britain’s first two-time MMA world champion after winning the PFL title in 2022.
“It’s going to be a massive moment. I’m gonna be PFL world champion and it will be an amazing milestone for me,” Ditcheva earlier told the PFL.
“And this is just the start, that’s why I say milestone. It’s just the start of an amazing journey for me.”
