PFL Europe 1: English duo aim to extend unbeaten records in Newcastle

The inaugural PFL Europe event is set to take place in Newcastle, England on Saturday, March 25, with a pair of undefeated British prospects looking to play a starring role.

PFL Europe 1 takes place at the Vertu Motors Arena, with light-heavyweight prospect Simeon Powell ready for the biggest showcase of his fighting career in the main event, while women’s flyweight striker Dakota Ditcheva is set for the co-main event spotlight.

After losing his amateur debut as a teenager back in 2018, Powell has gone undefeated, with six consecutive wins as an amateur followed by seven straight wins as a pro.

His first four bouts as a pro saw Powell claim four first-round finishes as he alternated rear-naked choke submissions with knockouts as he raced to 4-0 in swift fashion.

Those performances alerted the PFL, who invited him to compete in their 2022 Challenger Series, where he claimed a unanimous decision victory against Tobias Baker in April 2022.

That win earned him a showcase fight at the first event of the 2022 PFL regular season, and he took that opportunity with both hands, finishing Clinton Williams via third-round knockout. He then added another finish to his growing resume with a second-round leg kick TKO of Joao Paulo Fagundes at the PFL’s 2022 playoff event in London in August.

Now Powell has been given the main event treatment and will headline PFL Europe 1 against Dutch fighter Mohamed Amine, who has campaigned at both heavyweight and light heavyweight in his six-fight pro career.

Powell will be joined at the top of the fight card by another of the PFL’s top UK prospects. Dakota Ditcheva has been earmarked for stardom since she burst onto the scene with her special brand of striking.

The daughter of multiple-time kickboxing world champion Lisa Howarth, Ditcheva defeated Paula Cristina on a UAE Warriors card to hand the Brazilian prospect her first, and so far only, career defeat. Since that loss, Cristina went on to capture the Shooto Brasil women’s bantamweight title, while Ditcheva got the call to compete on the London leg of the PFL’s 2022 playoffs.

With a big opportunity in front of her, Ditcheva shone. She needed just 58 seconds to finish Hassna Gaber with a vicious Muay Thai knee to the liver. Her finish caught the eye of the PFL brass, who booked her in the very next event, the 2022 PFL Championships, three months later at Madison Square Garden.

On a fight card that featured six PFL championship bouts, a host of big names and former champions, plus the debut of the grandson of boxing icon Muhammad Ali, Biaggio Ali Walsh, Ditcheva once again produced an eye-catching display.

Ditcheva finished Katherine Corogenes via first-round TKO to add another stoppage victory to her growing resume, and her post-fight speech served notice to her future opponents inside the PFL SmartCage.

“Let me tell you one thing, this hype train stops for nobody!” she declared.

“I don’t care who you are, this hype train will keep rolling. Just keep bringing them to me, one by one.

“And, like Brendan (Loughnane) said, I woke up this morning, and I will choose violence every single day!”

Ditcheva will take on Swedish prospect Malena Hermansson, a fighter with a 5-4 record who is looking to snap a three-fight skid following defeats on Brave CF, UAE Warriors and Superior Challenge fight cards.