Dakota Ditcheva Returns and Beats Denise Kielholtz
The February bout is postponed
Dakota Ditcheva’s planned February 7, 2026 fight with Denise Kielholtz in Dubai did not take place. Ditcheva withdrew before the event because of an injury. The two later met at PFL New York on July 31, where Ditcheva won by unanimous decision.
Ditcheva wins the July rematch
The matchup had been announced in November 2025 as Ditcheva’s return from a broken hand suffered in her July 2025 win over Sumiko Inaba. The February booking was canceled after Ditcheva was injured again. PFL then rebooked the flyweights for its New York card.
Ditcheva beat Kielholtz over three rounds, with all three judges scoring the bout 30–27. The result marked her first appearance since the Inaba fight and kept her unbeaten professional record intact.
The revised timeline gives the bout its final outcome: Ditcheva returned in July, not February, and won a unanimous decision over Kielholtz.
Before the planned Dubai appearance, Ditcheva had last fought Sumiko Inaba in July 2025. She won that bout by unanimous decision despite suffering a broken hand, then spent months away before the February booking was withdrawn. The July result against Kielholtz marked her eventual return.
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