Nicknamed ‘The Honeybadger’, Ffion Davies has established herself as one of the best female grapplers in the world. Even though she provides courses online and trains young aspirants in the art of grappling, Davies couldn’t be stopped at some of the major championships in the sport. Her skills indeed dismiss her short stature of 5ft 3in, making her a force to be reckoned with.

Now, Davies is slated to fight the UFC star, Mackenzie Dern at CJI, with a hefty pay of $10,001. But before the showdown takes place, let’s take a look at the BJJ legend’s life and records. 

Where is Ffion Davies from? Background and early life

Ffion Davies was born on the 18th of January, 1995, in Swansea, Wales. Unlike her present personality, the Welsh grappler was one of the shy girls in school. There was an instance when she mentioned that she didn’t even speak a single word at school. However, it was Judo that gave her the confidence she needed. 

Both, her mother and father, stood in her support as she traversed the path as a young judoka. But it was MMA that made her fall in love with BJJ. The 29-year-old once said, “After being turned away from boxing gyms in Swansea, because they didn’t take female clients, I decided to explore some other avenues.” 

It was indeed pretty annoying for the BJJ star. But things began to change for the better when she landed at the Chris Rees’ academy, “It was annoying, but it is what it is, and I headed over to the Chris Rees academy to try my hand at MMA alongside UFC star Brett Johns. The training there was brilliant, and led me in to Jiu Jitsu where I instantly fell in love. As a sport it’s constantly changing and evolving, and you really can catch a bug for it.”

But before Davies traversed into Judo, she was a rugby player. And yes, it all happened when she was just 8 years old. Nevertheless, she could never have reached the peak of the sport without the ones who guided her.

Who has trained Ffion Davies? What is her BJJ record?

Davies began her journey in the world of martial arts with Judo during her time at school. But when she entered her teens in 2013, she began training under the guidance of Chris Rees. Rees was a pioneer of BJJ in Swansea, under whom, Davies received her purple belt. But then, she decided to switch gyms and joined East Coast BJJ Academy in Cardiff. 

In 2015, Davies received her blue belt while training under Royler Gracie at Gracie Barra. During this time, she won her first European Championship as a lightweight contender. She also trained under Saulo Riberio and Alexandre Riberio, before moving to Ireland to continue her training. 

Ffion Davies was indeed inspired by Darragh O’Conaill and she moved to Dublin just to train under him. It was no doubt, one of the greatest decisions Davies has ever taken. O’Conaill was the one who promoted Davies to a BJJ black belt in 2018. 

With all the support from her coaches, the Welsh grappler got herself 68 wins and 18 defeats as a professional BJJ athlete. But does she have any significant achievements in the sport?

Ffion Davies’ career highlights 

‘The Honebadger’ has multiple medals both as a black belt and as a colored belt. Before she got the black belt from O’Conaill, Davies secured the 2nd position at the IBJJF World Championship and IBJJF European Open. She also has a silver medal from UAEJJF Abu Dhabi Pro. On top of that, she has 3 IBJJF gold medals and 2 golds in the IBJJF European Open No-Gi Championship. She also secured first place at the ADCC European Trials back in 2018.

But when she got her black belt, she became the British National IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu champion, Pan American Championship champion, CBJJ Brazilian Nationals champion, and IBJJ world champion with and without gi. However, her most significant achievement was being the ADCC Submission Champion in 2022.  And now she’s set to make moves against a UFC contender.

Ffion Davies is currently the WNO 125-pound champion and the first-ever UK-born athlete to get an ADCC medal, and the IBJJF black belt No-Gi gold medal. But have you ever wondered if she has the support from a romantic partner in her quest to become the best BJJ fighter? Let’s take a look at the Welsh grappler’s romantic life.

Who is Ffion Davies’ boyfriend?

Ffion Davies is currently dating the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend, Gabriel Sousa for quite some time now. Needless to say, the duo have often shared moments together on their social media pages. However, many of the fight fans seem to wonder how someone like Sousa got to date a beautiful lady like Ffion Davies. 

But that doesn’t mean Sousa doesn’t have a big name in the world of martial arts. The Brazilian fighter has over 120 victories under his name. Currently competing at ONE Championship, Sousa has even achieved a victory over Mikey Musumeci, one of the strongest grapplers at ONE Championship. 

Do you think Davies’ experience can let her claim a win over Dern at CJI? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.