PFL announces Dakota Ditcheva's next fight in inaugural Africa tournament

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Mathew Riddle | Last updated May 7, 2025 9:11 AM ET

Ditcheva-Instagram

PFL has announced its second installment of the 2025 Champions Series.

Following major updates to their format in 2024, PFL has separated their product into several facets: PFL World Tournament, PFL Europe, PFL Mena, and PFL Champions Series.

2025 has been a strong start for the World Tournament, with Davis vs. Wilkinson and Kasanganay vs. Edwards marking an uptick in fan viewership. While this was happening, hardcore fans expressed their concerns with the treatment of PFL champions, who were nowhere to be seen.

The last PFL Champions Series event took place in January between Paul Hughes and Usman Nurmagomedov, and the next event is booked for July.

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PFL kicks off inaugural Africa tournament with Johnny Eblen, Dakota Ditcheva at the helm

As confirmed by PFL on social media on May 7, the next PFL Champions Series event is set to take place on Saturday, July 26. It will be headlined by middleweight champion Johnny Eblen taking on Costello Van Steenis, and co-headlined by Dakota Ditcheva fighting Sumiko Inaba.

#PFLChampionSeries is HERE.

@JohnnyEblen @_VanSteenis
@dakotadofficial @sumikoinaba

It all goes down on Saturday, July 26th in Capetown, South Africa LIVE from the GrandWest Arena pic.twitter.com/p9jd0nNMdu
— PFL (@PFLMMA) May 7, 2025

Van Steenis (16-3 MMA, 8-2 Bellator/PFL) won back-to-back contests in 2024, capping off a two-fight winning streak with a head kick knockout. Inaba (8-1 MMA) is also Bellator veteran.

The event will take place in Cape Town, South Africa, at the GrandWest Arena, marking the PFL's first-ever venture into South Africa and kicking off their inaugural Africa tournament. This could also mean fight news for Francis Ngannou, PFL's Africa Chairman, Super Fights heavyweight champion, and lineal UFC champion.

Per a press release, four other fights have been announced.