Dakota Ditcheva explains why her opinion on Ronda Rousey has been forever changed

Dakota Ditcheva's admiration for Ronda Rousey took a dramatic turn after the Hall of Famer made what Ditcheva deemed a "disgraceful" personal attack on Khamzat Chimaev. In May, as Rousey was promoting her comeback fight against Gina Carano in MVP MMA, she responded to Chimaev's comments by mocking his cleft palate, referring to him as "cleft lip Lincoln" and criticizing his wrestling-heavy fighting style.

Ditcheva, who had long idolized Rousey as she pursued her own professional fighting career, immediately denounced the remarks. She stated she was no longer a fan of the former UFC women's bantamweight champion after holding her in such high regard for years. Now preparing for her own PFL comeback in July, Ditcheva explained why crossing personal lines crossed her own ethical boundary.

"It did change my opinion of her," Ditcheva told MMA Fighting. "I feel like I hopefully will always be the same person. I don't feel like you have to cross any of those personal lines in order to get something good out of this sport."

Ditcheva acknowledged that Rousey, returning after a decade away and two brutal knockout losses that ended her career in 2016, already had sufficient star power without resorting to personal attacks. She suggested that Rousey's accomplishments were substantial enough to succeed on merit alone.

"She has enough accolades to just come back and win your fight without having to talk that way," Ditcheva said. While she witnessed similar behavior from fighters like Conor McGregor, Rousey represented something different—a woman and role model whom Ditcheva felt should have set a higher standard. "Ronda shouldn't have come down to that level," she concluded.