Ditcheva Admits Crowd Boos Bothered Her After PFL New York Win

Dakota Ditcheva said the crowd boos during her PFL New York victory bothered her more than she let on in the cage.

Ditcheva outpointed Denise Kielholtz by unanimous decision Friday at UBS Arena, but the flyweight favourite failed to meet expectations against an opponent who made things difficult over three rounds. Fans voiced their displeasure with the pace at times, and the unbeaten Brit admitted afterward she took the reaction personally.

Ditcheva On Balancing Entertainment With Winning

"It bothered me," Ditcheva told reporters at the post-fight press conference, per MMA Fighting. "Only because I'm passionate about the work I do, and I wanted a stoppage myself. But at the same time, words from my brother and my coach will be, always, 'We don't care about what anybody else thinks.' It's me in there fighting."

She continued: "I don't want them to boo, because I want to be exciting and entertaining for you guys, but at the same time, I'm in there fighting. I'm not in there, like, performing a dance. So, I have to do what's right for me to get the win and come out on top, and that's what I did today."

The decision moved Ditcheva to 16-0 as a professional. It marked her second straight win on the scorecards after she stopped nine consecutive opponents, most recently finishing Taila Santos with second-round strikes last November.

Ditcheva defends her PFL women's flyweight championship later this year, with the promotion expected to announce a date and opponent in the coming weeks.

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• BJPenn — Dakota Ditcheva admits she was ‘bothered’ by crowd boos during PFL New York win: “I want to be exciting and entertaining”