Dakota Ditcheva responds to Cris Cyborg Superfight offer

In the wake of her dominant title win at PFL Lyon, all eyes in women’s MMA have turned toward a potential superfight. Cris “Cyborg” Justino, the legendary featherweight champion and one of the most feared fighters in women’s MMA history, didn’t just celebrate her latest gold belt — she immediately targeted Dakota Ditcheva, igniting speculation about a monumental matchup that could headline 2026’s biggest PFL event.

At PFL Champions Series 4 in Lyon, France, Cyborg submitted previously unbeaten Sara Collins in the third round to claim the PFL featherweight title, adding yet another accolade to a career that spans championships across Strikeforce, UFC, Bellator, Invicta FC and now PFL. Her performance was vintage Cyborg — relentless pressure, suffocating grappling and a fight-finishing instinct that has defined her long and storied career.

But as soon as the celebration began, so did the call-outs. In her post-fight interview, Cyborg didn’t hesitate to throw Ditcheva’s name into the mix as her ideal next opponent — potentially for her retirement fight. At 40 years old, Cyborg has openly stated that 2026 will likely be her final year in MMA, making the choice of opponent all the more meaningful.

Unlike Cyborg’s decades of experience and battles against the toughest competition on the planet, Dakota Ditcheva represents the future of the sport. The 27-year-old Brit has exploded onto the scene with a perfect professional record and a flyweight tournament title under the PFL banner, underscoring her meteoric rise in just a few short years. Ditcheva’s combination of crisp striking, unblemished finish rate and world title pedigree have made her one of PFL’s most bankable stars.

When Ditcheva addressed Cyborg’s challenge during a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani MMA Show, her reaction was measured but candid. The PFL flyweight champion recounted how surreal it was to be called out by a fighter she used to look up to earlier in her career — even sharing that she once took a photo with Cyborg before signing with PFL and was “so, so happy” to meet one of women’s MMA’s icons.

Still, Ditcheva made it clear that matching up against Cyborg right now doesn’t make a ton of sense to her — especially given the weight disparity and her own competitive priorities. “Respectfully, she’s not giving the fight, I am,” Ditcheva said, emphasizing that she believes she would be the one carrying much of the promotional weight in such a bout. She also pointed out that Cyborg’s calling her out — rather than someone more logically aligned — feels like strategic matchmaking on the veteran’s part.

That said, Ditcheva did leave the door open — with conditions. She said that if Cyborg could make 135 pounds and meaningful incentives were on the table, she would entertain the idea of meeting in the cage, noting it would take time and serious planning to make the weight jump feasible. Ditcheva also reiterated her commitment to her current career path and role in building out the women’s flyweight division.

Cyborg, for her part, has doubled down on the call-out on social media, insisting she can make 135 pounds and pitching the fight as the biggest matchup PFL could deliver for both athletes — a dramatic passing of the torch moment between one of MMA’s greatest ever and its brightest emerging star.

As of now, there’s no confirmation from PFL about officially booking the bout, but the conversation alone has sent ripples through the MMA world — pitting the unstoppable legacy of Cyborg against the electrifying potential of Ditcheva. Fans are left wondering: will this be the iconic, cross-divisional clash that defines MMA’s next era — or simply one of the sport’s most talked-about “what ifs”?