Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner from Wales
Ffion Davies (born 18 January 1995) is a Welsh submission grappler, mixed martial artist and a world-champion Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) competitor. She is a multiple winner of the IBJJF World Championship, including the no-gi championship in 2023 in both the 61kg and absolute divisions.[7]
A member of Wales Judo National team when she was a junior, Davies holds a black belt in both BJJ and judo.
Davies is the first lightweight athlete to win double gold at the No-Gi World Championship. Davies is the first British/Welsh black belt world champion (in both Gi and No-Gi), the first European to win the Brazilian Nationals, the lightest-ever competitor to win the IBJJF European absolute division, and the first British/Welsh ADCC World Champion.
Early life
Ffion Eira Davies was born on 18 January 1995 in Swansea, Wales.[8] She started playing rugby then switched to judo at the age of 8 starting competing extensively,[8] Davies became a Welsh and British Open judo champion in the junior division and was selected into the Welsh National Judo team.[5]
Career
Early career
After leaving judo during her teenage years Davies started MMA in 2013 alongside Brett Johns,[9] Davies won her first four MMA fights by first round submission, then decided to focus on learning Brazilian jiu-jitsu; she trained under Chris Rees, the first Welsh black belt in jiu-jitsu, receiving her blue belt from him at his Academy in Swansea.[10]
In 2015, competing under Gracie Barra as a blue belt, she won her first European Championship in the Lightweight division.[11] After attending seminars of black belt Darragh O’Conail, Davies moved to Dublin, to start training at East Coast Jiu-Jitsu.[12] On 27 November 2018 O’Conaill promoted her to black belt.[8]
Black belt career
2018–2019: IBJJF World No-Gi Champion, European Champion, Pan Am Champion
A month after receiving her belt, Davies won double gold at the Dublin International Open (Feather and Open Class) followed by gold at the World No-Gi Championship[13] becoming the first black belt from the UK to win that tournament.[14] At the start of 2019 she won the European Championship, the Polaris Grappling Invitational,[15] the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam London, and then became Pan American Champion after winning Gold in California. A month later, Davies won the Brazilian National Jiu-Jitsu Championship (known as Brasileiros) becoming the first European to win,[16] and then winning Bronze at the 2019 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship (known as Mundials).
At the 2019 ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship, she won Silver after submitting the tournament's favourite Bia Mesquita in the semi-final,[17] in what has been called "one of the most shocking upsets in jiu-jitsu history"[18] she was invited to compete at the 2022 ADCC World Championship as a result. She returned to the UK to win the British National followed by the Berlin International Open Championship in November.
2020–2021: Third European and second World No-Gi championship titles
In 2020, Davies won double gold at the European Championship in the Lightweight division and in Open Class, beating the Super-Heavyweight Champion Jessica Flowers,[19] becoming the lightest grappler to win the European absolute division. After returning to the UK she won another Abu Dhabi Grand Slam London. In 2021, she won the World No-Gi championship for the second time in her weight division.[20] At the 2022 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship Davies won silver after being defeated by Nathalie Ribeiro in the final,[21] both competitors were praised for their sportsmanship following the match, after congratulating her opponent Davies posted: "We all have the same goal and will likely all have our moment. Don’t dull anyone else’s shine."[22]
2022: IBJJF World Champion, ADCC Submission Fighting World Champion
In early 2022, Davies started training at Essential Jiu Jitsu (an Atos affiliated academy), under the coaching of JT Torres.[23] In June 2022 Davies won the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship in the Lightweight division, becoming the first Welsh and British black belt jiu-jitsu world champion.[24] At the 2022 ADCC World Championship Davies became the first Welsh and British Submission Fighting world champion after submitting Adele Fornarino in the first round, defeating Bia Mesquita 6-0 in the semi-final, and Brianna Ste-Marie by a score of 10-0 in the final.[25]
2023: Second IBJJF World title
Davies competed in the women's under 66 kg Grand Prix at Polaris 23 on March 11, 2023.[26] Davies defeated Giovanna Jara in the opening round before being submitted by the eventual champion Elisabeth Clay in the semi-final.[27]
On March 26, 2023, Davies won a silver medal in the lightweight division of the 2023 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship.[28] On 4 June 2023, Davies won the IBJJF World Championship for the second time, in the lightweight division.[29][30]
Davies was booked to defend her WNO flyweight title against Jasmine Rocha at Who's Number One on August 10, 2023.[31] She won the match by unanimous decision and successfully defended the title.[32]
Davies won both the lightweight and the absolute division at the IBJJF No-Gi World Championship 2023,[33] becoming the first European to win the absolute division and the first to win two gold medals at the same edition of the tournament.[34]
2024
Davies competed against Luana Pinheiro in the co-main event of ADXC 2 on January 19, 2024.[35] She won the match by submission in the first round.[36]
Davies was scheduled to defend her flyweight title against Amanda Alequin at Who's Number One 22 on February 9, 2024,[37] but she withdrew from the match due to undisclosed reasons.[38]
Davies will compete in the main event of Subversion 5: Reign against Nikki Lloyd-Griffiths for the promotion's inaugural featherweight title on April 6, 2024.[39]
Competitive summary
Main achievements at black belt level:[8]
Main Achievements (Coloured Belts):[8]
- 1X IBJJF World champion (2018 brown)
- 1X IBJJF World No-Gi champion (2016 purple)
- 1X IBJJF European Open champion (2015 blue, 2016 purple)
- 2X IBJJF European Open No-Gi champion (2018[b] brown)[51]
- 1X ADCC European Trials champion (2018)
- 2nd Place IBJJF World Championship (2016/2017 purple)
- 2nd Place UAEJJF Abu Dhabi Pro (2018 brown)
- 2nd Place IBJJF European Open (2018 brown)
Personal life
Ffion Davies is a native Welsh speaker. In a 2020 interview she has stated that she's a vegetarian.[13]
