3 Fighters to Watch in the Upcoming PFL Season

The Professional Fighters League recently announced the dates for the first half of the 2024 season. The PFL will kick off perhaps the most important year in the promotion’s history, following the groundbreaking acquisition of Bellator and some of their top talent.

Bellator stars such as Patricky “Pitbull” Freire, Phil Davis, Liz Carmouche, former Bellator Champion Valentin Moldavsky, and more are to be announced. The first of three events announced will take place in San Antonio, Texas on April 4th featuring Heavyweights and the brand new Women’s Flyweight division.

On April 12th, the PFL will touch down in Las Vegas, Nevada for a show at the Virgin Hotels and Casino, featuring the Light Heavyweights and Lightweights. To wrap up the first half of the season, the PFL will make the trip up to The Windy City in Chicago, Illinois, with this event showcasing the Middleweights and Welterweights. While there is much to look forward to during the 2024 campaign, this article will highlight three fighters to keep your eye on as this tournament unfolds over this next year.

Dakota Ditcheva 10-0 Women’s Flyweight

Dakota Ditcheva is a rising superstar for the PFL. Coming off a championship campaign for the PFL Europe season, Ditcheva is coming across the pond to challenge for the brand new PFL Women’s Flyweight title. Daughter of former kickboxer Lisa Howarth, Ditcheva is an electric striker with a long list of accomplishments and titles in her young career. She is undefeated in MMA currently and dominated the European competitors she faced during the PFL Europe season, including a violent doctor’s stoppage vs Valentini Scatizzi to win the belt and 100k dollars.

There are many aspects of Ditcheva’s game that stand out. Her size, length, striking variety, and patience are all tremendous qualities she has showcased, but the two aspects that stand out the most are her clinch game and her strike selection. In the clinch, Ditcheva uses her length and leverage to control positions and utilizes elbows and knees to great effect.

Most MMA fighters simply do not have a developed Thai clinch game, therefore Dakota feasts in these situations. Her strike selection is the other component of her skillset that is notable. She throws a lot of front kicks and long weapons at range but knows exactly when and how to transition to the clinch and an inside striking game. We have not had the opportunity to see Ditcheva grapple, so there is a question mark there, particularly against fighters such as Liz Carmouche, but Ditcheva is a rising star in Women’s MMA and is looking to stamp her mark on the 2024 PFL Season.

Jakub Nedoh 8-1 Light Heavyweight

A relatively unknown fighter to many MMA fans, Slovenia’s Jakob Nedoh burst onto the scene with a wild upset of PFL rising star Simeon Powell in the finals of PFL Europe. A large and powerful light heavyweight, “The Gorilla” has decided his next conquest is the PFL 2024 regular season. Entering a division featuring the likes of Rob Wilkinson, Josh Silveira, and the reigning 2023 champion Impa Kasanganay, Nedoh looks to establish himself as the new breed of PFL light heavyweights.

The first thing that jumps out when watching Nedoh is his size and speed. At 6’3 or 191 cm, he is capable of putting any fighter’s lights out with a single strike. In his PFL Europe semifinal, he knocked out Ricardo Nosisglia with a power jab, displaying just how hard he hits.

He is a decent wrestler and grappler, able to secure double leg takedowns and has the ability to find the back during exchanges, but on the feet is where Nedoh makes his money. Always moving in and out, his timing is tremendous and he mixes his targets well. He is very forward pressuring and prefers to control the pace, so it will be interesting seeing him fight off the back foot against higher-level competition. At 8-1 and just 27 years old, this surging Slovenian fighter is one to watch.

Solomon Renfro 11-4 Lightweight

One of the best stories of last year’s PFL season was Solomon Renfro. Earning his shot into contention as a short-notice replacement, Renfro put his name on the map with a stunning second-round knockout of Jarrah Al-Silawi during the regular season.

Despite just coming short on points to make the playoffs, Renfro waited patiently for his next opportunity, and when Magomed Umalatov dropped out due to injury, “The Black Dragon” stepped in versus Magomed Magomedkerimov. Despite losing a decision, Renfro fought very well against the two-time PFL champion and earned himself a full opportunity in the 2024 PFL regular season.

A short and stocky build, Renfro is almost reminiscent of Tyron Woodley with his frame. Unlike Woodley, Renfro is primarily a striker with the capability to grapple if needed. He utilizes a high guard, and small steps to advance and then unleash bombs on his opponents. His overhand and hooks are his best weapons, and his takedown defense is above average as well.

The limitations on Renfro come with his decision making and ability to just go for it when he has his opponent hurt or he is down in the fight. He will be competing down at 155 pounds in the coming season, a division filled with top fighters such as Clay Collard and Shane Burgos. It will be interesting to see how he adjusts to the lighter weight class with his stocky build and big power.