Ffion Davies

Ffion Eira Davies (born January 18, 1995, in Swansea, Wales) is a historic figure in modern submission grappling. Widely regarded as one of the most dominant lightweight and featherweight competitors of her generation, Davies shattered glass ceilings for United Kingdom grappling by becoming the first Welsh IBJJF Black Belt World Champion and an ADCC World Champion.

Early Life and Judo Roots
Davies was highly active from a young age, participating in intensive sports like rugby and Judo. She began practicing Judo at age eight and excelled at it, eventually capturing Welsh and British Open Championship titles in the junior divisions. Her success earned her a coveted spot on the Welsh National Judo team.

Despite her athletic success, Davies struggled heavily with self-confidence and a sense of isolation on the team during her adolescence. Feeling disconnected from her peers, her passion for the sport faded, prompting her to step away from competitive martial arts entirely.

The Switch to MMA and Jiu-Jitsu
In November 2013, at age 18, Davies sought a fresh start and discovered Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Through her MMA training, she was introduced to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. She immediately recognized the foundational similarities to her childhood Judo, but fell in love with BJJ’s fluid, less restrictive ruleset.

She began her formal BJJ journey under Swansea pioneer Chris Rees, who promoted her to blue belt. She remained with the Rees affiliation until her purple belt. Following a desire to elevate her training, Davies and her partner parted ways with the academy to join forces with elite Irish competitor and coach Darragh O’Conaill, training out of a satellite gym in Cardiff called CF24.

In June 2018, following a personal split from her partner, Davies relocated entirely to Dublin, Ireland, to train directly at the East Coast Jiu-Jitsu Academy (ECJJA) headquarters. Finding the environment profoundly positive, she settled there permanently. Just a few months later, on November 27, 2018, O’Conaill awarded Davies her black belt.

Historic Championship Dominance
Davies immediately took the black belt division by storm, displaying an incredibly aggressive, pressure-heavy passing style rooted in her Judo background, alongside a lethal finishing rate with the armbar and rear-naked choke.

Over her storied career, she compiled a legendary list of major titles:

ADCC World Champion: 1st Place (2022), 2nd Place (2019)

IBJJF World Champion (Gi): 1st Place (2022, 2023)

IBJJF World No-Gi Champion: 1st Place (2018, 2021, 2023) *(*Weight and Absolute)

IBJJF European Open Champion: 1st Place (2019, 2020) *(*Weight and Absolute)

CBJJ Brazilian Nationals Champion: 1st Place (2019)

Her 2022 ADCC gold medal and consecutive IBJJF World titles cemented her status as a pound-for-pound great, proving that European grapplers could systematically dismantle the historically dominant Brazilian factions.

Legacy and Professional Super-Fights
With a career submission victory rate hovering around 60%, Davies transitioned seamlessly into the professional super-fight era. She achieved dominant showings across major professional grappling promotions such as Polaris, WNO (Who’s Number One), and the historic Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) in 2024, where she bested UFC/BJJ star Mackenzie Dern.

Off the mats, she is a proud ambassador for Welsh culture. She frequently explains the unique origin of her first name, Ffion (the Welsh word for the Foxglove flower), noting that the double “F” represents the “V” sound missing from the traditional Welsh alphabet. From a disenchanted teenage athlete to an absolute titan of global grappling, Davies remains an inspirational pioneer for European martial arts.