UFC BJJ
Ffion Davies Wants To Capture The Title In Style
Multi-Time BJJ World Champion Looks To Add Another Title To Her Resume As She Challenges For The Inaugural UFC BJJ Women’s Bantamweight Title.
Ffion Davies knows what it takes to become a world champion in the world of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and on March 12 the 31-year-old Welsh star will look to add another accolade to her already impressive resumé when she challenges for the vacant UFC BJJ women’s bantamweight championship at UFC BJJ 6.
Davies will take on Brazilian contender and fellow IBJJF no-gi world champion Cassia Moura in the co-main event at Meta APEX in a matchup that has her excited for what might transpire in the Bowl on Thursday night.
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“It’s just so cool. I mean, I thought I'd have to do a few more matches before I could get a title shot, so I’m really grateful for the opportunity,” she said. “I know that Cassia has had a few goes in the Bowl. But, yeah, I'm really excited for it. And it's such a great matchup. I think stylistically, we have quite similar styles, so I think it's gonna breed a really exciting match.”
For Davies, winning titles and trophies is just part of it. In addition to claiming victories on the mats and in the Bowl, she wants to do so in such a way as to help bring positive attention to the sport, and increased opportunity for women within it. With that in mind, the chance to compete for a title at the sharp end of a talent-loaded card under the UFC banner ticks a lot of boxes, as she explained.
“Yeah, it's really cool, especially because there's so many huge names on the card,” she said. “So I'm delighted to be co main with Cassia, and I think that we could put on a really good show…I feel like there's always that pressure as female athletes to go above and beyond, because you are aware there's not that many spots, although there are a ton of girls on this card. But I think that kind of stays with you, and you're so used to having maybe the only slot on a card. So yeah, I think we're going to bring the excitement. I hope!”
That inner motivation to bring the action and entertainment to her matches comes through the feeling that that sometimes women have to go the extra yard to prove their worth. And while that can add pressure, Davies tries to turn that into a positive to help evolve her game and take her skills to new heights.
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“I try to sort of shrug it off and just do my best jiu-jitsu,” she explained.“But at the same time, there is that thing of like, if we have an average fight or normal fight, that's going to be critiqued as super boring. So yeah, I think you have to really step it up, unfortunately. But it's good for pushing you to kind of get out of your comfort zone, as well.”
As one of the most prominent female athletes in BJJ today, Davies has certainly felt that pressure during her career. And she admits that sometimes her desire to impress has come at the expense of her overall performances and successes. But, over time, she’s gradually been able to find the middle ground where she can both win and entertain.
“There is definitely a balance. Like in the past, when I was younger, for sure, I used to kind of sacrifice myself for the good of the match,” she admitted. “Not like throw myself into a submission, but I would take unnecessary risks. Now I'm more mature – quite a lot more mature, but not that much! – I'm a bit more, ‘OK, we need to be tactical’.
“But in a show environment, at the end of the day, you're there to perform. You're there to entertain people. So I think that, for me, I have to try and remember that, yes, I need to be smart with my decision-making and not make unnecessary mistakes. But at the same time, taking risks is important for my own enjoyment as well – not only just for the fans, but for myself – to feel like I gave everything I could in a match. Taking risks is important, and it also pushes me beyond my own boundaries to be better.”
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Davies will have to find that balance again on March 12 when she takes on the dangerous Moura for the inaugural UFC BJJ women’s bantamweight title. The Brazilian has been on Davies’ radar for a while now, and the Welsh contender has invested plenty of time on the mats of her BJJ gym, ARMA BJJ in London, England in preparation for this matchup. That facility, along with a change to her competitive schedule, has helped sharpen her skills ahead of her title challenge in Las Vegas this week.
“Yeah, it's been pretty different for a few reasons,” she explained. “I’ve got the gym now, as well, so I'm preparing with the other coaches and students at the gym. But also now that I do more super fights, as opposed to tournaments, you do have that benefit of getting to kind of study your opponent a bit.
“I try not to do it too much – I have watched her matches even before I had her lined up to be fighting against her, because I like her jiu-jitsu and I like watching her matches, and I like watching all jiu-jitsu in general. So yeah, I was aware of her game, and kind of watched a bit more to remind myself of certain things she likes to do. But I never like to over-analyze someone. I try and focus on myself and just improve myself to be the best that I can be.”
Davies said that the combination of her and Moura’s respective grappling styles should result in a high-paced matchup, and she’s worked hard in the gym to ensure she’s fully prepared for a high-intensity matchup over five-minute rounds, rather than a longer, single-round format.
“I always want the submission, but at the same time, I want to show that I can dominate the match as well, and I kind of dictate where it goes,” she said. “I would love to show more of my game. I feel like I end up being on top because the girls in my division tend to pull (guard) before me, and I just kind of accept it. At the same time, she has great wrestling, and I'd love to test myself against her in the wrestling.
“And I think, considering it's UFC BJJ, I don't think anyone wants to see me sit on my ass, so I think I'll kind of mix it up. But yeah, I won't be afraid to wrestle up as well from the bottom, but I'd like to showcase a bit of my guard at some point. And, yeah, get a submission, because last time I didn't get a submission. And obviously that's the whole point!”
If she’s successful, Davies will join the elite cast of UFC BJJ champions as standard-bearers for the sport. Being a UFC champ would carry plenty of cachet, too…
“Well, I get a nice shiny belt, so that would be really nice to bring through customs!” she grinned. “But also, yeah, it's like, I could say I'm UFC champion and just leave out the BJJ part and confuse everyone! Also, it's just really cool to have UFC so invested in jiu-jitsu now. I feel super proud to be one of the first … To be part of that, to be part of history, and sort of paving the way for the other girls, that's the thing that's most important for me. So yeah, just really happy to be here.”
