UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Dakota Ditcheva doesn’t put too much stock into being a massive favorite.
Ditcheva (12-0) secured her spot as the No. 1 seed in the women’s flyweight playoffs when she finished Chelsea Hackett (4-3-1) by Round 1 TKO in the 2024 PFL 4 co-main event Thursday at Mohegan Sun.
Ditcheva was a 40-to-1 favorite at one point during her fight vs. Hackett, but the 25-year-old thinks the odds are little over exaggerated – even though she continues to live up to the hype with her third-straight first-round finish.
“I saw the odds yesterday, and I get frustrated with it because I’m like the only fight that odds are stupid numbers,” Ditcheva told MMA Junkie and other reporters in the post-fight scrum. “MMA is a sport where one punch can change anything.
“I know Chelsea got stopped in her first fight, but she’s still a good, high-level fighter and the odds probably went against her because she’s lost before and I won so many times. My odds are just stupid.”
That being said, Ditcheva is happy to come out unscathed as she preps for a step up in competition during the playoffs. She credits Hackett for wanting to fight her.
“I’m happy with it,” Ditcheva said on her performance. “Fair play to Chelsea – not many people call out high-level people, and I’d like to say I’m a high-level fighter. So fair play to her for being a game fighter.
“But I’m not really surprised by the performance, to be honest. I feel like I always take every opponent serious and some people, I think, underestimate me. I don’t know why. But I’m happy with it anyway.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2024 PFL 4.