Dakota Ditcheva’s head coach pushes back against critics: ‘It’s not up to her who she fights’ | PFL 5

The head coach for Dakota Ditcheva has fired back ...

Ditcheva scored another huge knockout at PFL 4 last week (Thurs., June 14, 2024) inside Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., crushing Chelsea Hackett with a brutal body shot that sent her to the canvas (watch highlights).

The 25-year-old budding Professional Fighters League (PFL) star has received much criticism for how she has been booked and the "favorable" matchups she has received thus far in her mixed martial arts (MMA) career.

American Top Team co-founder and Ditcheva's head coach, Conan Silveira, has responded to the critics. And he doesn't appreciate everyone tearing her down.

"From what I read in the media, there's always something to be said,” Silveira told MMAmania.com. “It doesn't matter how much you do — there is always an expectation. You should be more, more and more, and then you're never proven if you haven't fought the person that everyone thinks you should fight. I definitely don't believe that.

“I think people are full of blah, blah, blah,” Silveira continued. “Some don't understand what they are watching. Some do understand and just like to depreciate people. They have no idea what a fighter has to go through. But, definitely, 100 percent, I believe then she's on her way to becoming a champion. She is the future."

Ditcheva was the only top-ranked fighter booked against an opponent coming off a loss, leading critics to accuse the undefeated Brit of handpicking fights — a charge that also falls on PFL’s somewhat-dubious matchmaking.

Silveira pushed back against those claims, revealing his fighter doesn't pick her fights whatsoever.

"I've been dealing with [fighters being accused of picking fights] all my life in different promotions and with the different champions," Silveira said. "There is always someone saying, 'That fighter didn't want to fight that fighter' because they will have a bad day. When is it a good day? There's no such thing as a good day for fighters.

“As for people saying, 'She doesn't want to fight the other girls,' she doesn't care who she fights in the next round or after that,” Silveira continued. “I really don't believe she would ever say that, and she wouldn't say that to anybody. 'Oh, I don't want to fight you.' She can fight anybody and is on the level of Liz Carmouche and Taila Santos.

"It's not up to her who she fights,” he added. “If it were up to her, I'll be honest: She would ask all of the other girls to get in the cage, and she'd fight them one-by -one on the same night. I'm not lying. That is her desire.

“Of course, it's not reality,” Silveira concluded. “She really doesn't care who she's going to fight. Just bring it. She'll be ready because her main concern is about her, not about what the other people think and what she has to prove.”

Ditcheva faces Jenna Bishop in the semifinals on Aug. 2, 2024, for a chance to compete for $1 million.

For all the latest PFL and Bellator MMA news and notes click here and here.