A new year is here, and that means it’s time for Combat Press to take a look back at the best of MMA in 2024. In the coming days, Combat Press will announce its award winners in multiple categories, covering everything from the action in the cage to the biggest stories surrounding the sport.
The world of women’s mixed martial arts has a new household name. Most of the time when a fighter comes seemingly out of nowhere, they are awarded the Breakout Fighter of the Year, but, in rare circumstances, a fighter has such an emphatic arrival that it merits the top award. 2024 was such a year for Dakota Ditcheva.
Coming into 2024, Ditcheva had put together an impressive record on the international scene, most notably during her time under the PFL Europe banner, where she would improve her professional record to 8-0. She joined the 2024 PFL season in the women’s flyweight division and would run the table en route to capturing the season’s championship.
Both of Ditcheva’s regular season fights ended with TKO wins in the first round, as did her semifinal fight against another highly touted prospect in Jena Bishop. It wasn’t until the championship fight that Ditcheva would see a second round. She would also see her most accomplished and talented opponent, Taila Santos.
Santos is a UFC veteran who went the distance and lost a very close split decision to all-time great champion Valentina Shevchenko. The fight between Ditcheva and Santos would not be close. With seconds remaining in the second round, the referee would halt the fight due to the agonizing body punches landed by Ditcheva. With that victory she not only secured her place as a champion, but she started an argument over whether she just might be the best women’s flyweight fighter on the planet. For those reasons and that accomplishment, Dakota Ditcheva has earned the Combat Press 2024 MMA Award fo Female Fighter of the Year.