When Dakota Ditcheva became the first British woman to win an MMA world title, she had no idea of the frustration that would follow. After her historic win over Taila Santos in the PFL flyweight final, Ditcheva found herself in a unique position. Her dominance in the cage, marked by three first-round stoppages and one in the second round, left the promotion struggling to find worthy challengers.

Ditcheva reflects on the challenges she faced: "Obviously, with me walking through them last year it's made it difficult. It's definitely frustrating. I did so well last year - I fought in the cage four times and obviously the last one was a big one and drew a lot of attention, but now I felt like my momentum had kind of dropped off."

Santos was the top contender in the division, and Ditcheva's decisive victory over her only added to the difficulty of finding new opponents. "They [the PFL] didn't know which direction to put me in," Ditcheva admits.

Despite the challenges, Ditcheva remains focused on her career. She considered entering the PFL's flyweight tournament again but declined due to the lack of new competition. "I wanted to fight the next level and keep moving up, so that's been the tough thing this year," she said.

Now, after an eight-month wait, Ditcheva is set to face American Sumiko Inaba at the Champions Series in Cape Town, South Africa. Inaba, with eight wins out of nine fights, presents a new challenge for Ditcheva. "There's no denying her skill level," Ditcheva acknowledges, though it remains to be seen how much of a threat Inaba will pose.

This event marks the first time a major MMA show has taken place in Africa, adding to the significance of Ditcheva's return to the cage. Despite the long wait, Ditcheva sees a positive in the anticipation surrounding her return. "I fought four times last year which gave people a lot, but now I feel they're all waiting for me to fight," she said.

Ditcheva and Inaba will compete in the co-main event at the Grand Arena, with American Johnny Eblen defending his middleweight title against Spain's Costello van Steenis in the headline fight. Eblen, the reigning Bellator middleweight champion, last defended his title in October last year.

Ditcheva's elite striking has led to 12 knockouts in 14 fights, making her one of the most exciting British fighters in MMA today. As she prepares to face Inaba, Ditcheva remains optimistic: "I'm just happy they were able to give me a fight. I'm looking forward to it and I'm expecting a tough fight."