Dakota Ditcheva cleared, wants PFL title shot against Jena Bishop after surgery

Dakota Ditcheva is targeting a rematch with Jena Bishop for championship gold. Ditcheva (16-0) says she has been cleared to resume training after undergoing surgery on both hands, which she broke during her unanimous decision victory over Denise Kielholtz in July. The injuries sidelined the undefeated Brit while Bishop defeated Liz Carmouche at PFL Chicago to become the inaugural Professional Fighters League women’s flyweight world champion.Dakota Ditcheva resumes training, targets rematch with PFL champion Jena Bishop Ditcheva has focused on grappling while easing back into striking. “Dangerous” previously suffered a hand injury during her victory over Sumiko Inaba last year, but said her latest recovery progressed much faster, allowing her to return about nine weeks after surgery. “I'm good, I'm all clear,” Ditcheva told Ariel Helwani. “I'm back at training now, so yeah, I'm ready to go. I'm just waiting for a date for the belt. I want my belt back. I've been grappling for a few weeks now. I just kind of took my time a little bit with the striking. I haven't got a fight coming up, so I thought, let me just focus on the grappling; now Jena’s the person with the belt. I healed so quickly this time… It was like nine weeks since surgery, which is really quick.” Ditcheva has finished 13 of her 16 career victories, including a first-round technical knockout of Bishop in their 2024 meeting.A heavyweight title fight headlines PFL Dubai: Tune in on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 1 p.m. ET on the ESPN app.Dakota Ditcheva gives an update on her recovery after undergoing surgery on both hands: “I'm good, I'm all clear. I'm back at training now, so yeah, I'm ready to go. I'm just waiting for a date for the belt. I want my belt back. I've been grappling for a few weeks now. I just kind of took my time a little bit with the striking. I haven't got a fight coming up, so I thought, let me just focus on the grappling. I healed so quickly this time. It was like nine weeks since surgery, which is really quick."— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 27, 2026