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Dakota Ditcheva is trying to forget about her hand injury as she prepares to return to action in the Professional Fighters League.
The unbeaten British standout meets former Bellator kickboxing champion Denise Kielholtz on July 31 at UBS Arena on Long Island, New York, marking her return after suffering a broken hand against Sumiko Inaba in 2025, an injury that sidelined her for more than a year.
Despite a 100% physical recovery from her injury, Ditcheva still struggles with the mental aspect of returning to competition. She recently admitted that the biggest hurdle has been regaining complete confidence in her repaired hand, especially having undergone reconstructive surgery.
“You have to try and forget about it,” Ditcheva said about her recovery after the surgery. “I’m doing everything I was doing before it was broken, so for now, it’s just the mind. I don’t have any evidence to suggest the hand isn’t as strong as it was before; I’m hitting just as hard as I was before.”
Ditcheva also claimed that she occasionally feels “nervous” before training sessions.
“When I get ready for training in the morning, I’m nervous,” the PFL star added. “But that’s what makes me go and those feeling are what I live for every day.”
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The unbeaten British standout meets former Bellator kickboxing champion Denise Kielholtz on July 31 at UBS Arena on Long Island, New York, marking her return after suffering a broken hand against Sumiko Inaba in 2025, an injury that sidelined her for more than a year.
Dakota Ditcheva discusses confidence struggles before PFL fight with Denise Kielholtz
Despite a 100% physical recovery from her injury, Ditcheva still struggles with the mental aspect of returning to competition. She recently admitted that the biggest hurdle has been regaining complete confidence in her repaired hand, especially having undergone reconstructive surgery.
“You have to try and forget about it,” Ditcheva said about her recovery after the surgery. “I’m doing everything I was doing before it was broken, so for now, it’s just the mind. I don’t have any evidence to suggest the hand isn’t as strong as it was before; I’m hitting just as hard as I was before.”
Ditcheva also claimed that she occasionally feels “nervous” before training sessions.
“When I get ready for training in the morning, I’m nervous,” the PFL star added. “But that’s what makes me go and those feeling are what I live for every day.”
The Summer of PFL rolls on!
The #PFLSummerSeries continues straight into New York with the return of undefeated Dakota Ditcheva this Friday, July 31st against Denise Kielholtz#PFLNY | Friday, July 31st | Prelims 4PM EST on the ESPN App | Main Card 7PM EST on ESPN pic.twitter.com/wsHRozzHYK— PFL (@PFLMMA) July 26, 2026
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