Original, editorial profiles. Every fighter researched and written from public competition records — never scraped, never copied.

Ffion Davies "The Honeybadger"

Black Belt ★ BJJ Icon Active competitor
BJJ ICON HALL OF FAME ★ ★ ★ ICON
Weight class
Lightweight
Black belt under
Darragh O'Conaill
Affiliation
Davies moved from Wales to Dublin to train at Darragh O'Conaill's East Coast Jiu-Jitsu Academy (ECJJA), where O'Conaill promoted her to black belt on November 2
Born
1995

About Ffion Davies

Ffion Eira Davies was born on January 18, 1995, in Swansea, Wales. Long before jiu-jitsu, she was a serious judoka, competing for Wales and Great Britain and racking up national titles as a youth and junior athlete. That judo background gave her an unusually strong grip fighting and takedown game that would later separate her from many BJJ-only competitors once she crossed over to the gi and no-gi mats.

Davies discovered Brazilian jiu-jitsu in her early twenties and relocated to Dublin, Ireland to train under Darragh O'Conaill at East Coast Jiu-Jitsu Academy. The move paid off quickly: she rose through the belt ranks as a standout competitor, winning IBJJF titles as a colored belt before O'Conaill awarded her a black belt on November 27, 2018. As a black belt she continued to climb, adding an IBJJF No-Gi World Championship in 2018 and again in 2021.

Her 2022 and 2023 seasons cemented her as one of the sport's defining lightweight competitors. She won the IBJJF gi World Championship in both years, becoming the first Welsh or British athlete to hold a black belt gi World title, and closed out 2023 by becoming the first lightweight in IBJJF history to win double gold at the No-Gi World Championship, taking both her weight class and the absolute division. She also became the first British/Welsh athlete to win an ADCC World Championship title, medaling at the sport's most prestigious no-gi event, and has added Brazilian Nationals, Pan American, and multiple European titles to a resume that spans nearly every major tournament on the calendar.

Technically, Davies is known for a physical, high-output style: strong wrestling-influenced takedowns, aggressive guard passing, and a top game that wears opponents down over the course of a match rather than relying on a single signature submission. That combination of athleticism and jiu-jitsu fundamentals has made her a fixture at the top of the sport's pound-for-pound conversations.

Davies remains active as of 2025, continuing to compete on the IBJJF Masters and open circuits while also coaching. Her run of firsts for British and Welsh grappling — gi and no-gi Worlds gold, ADCC gold, and Brazilian Nationals gold — has made her one of the most decorated non-Brazilian competitors in the women's game.

Style & game

A relentless, high-pace grappler known for pressure passing and a suffocating top game, built on a judo foundation that gives her exceptional grips, takedowns,

Career achievements

2023

IBJJF World Champion (Gi)

World Jiu-Jitsu Championship

2022

IBJJF World Champion (Gi)

World Jiu-Jitsu Championship

2023

IBJJF World No-Gi Champion

World No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Championship (weight and absolute double gold)

2022

ADCC World Champion

ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship

2021

IBJJF World No-Gi Champion

World No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Championship

2018

IBJJF World No-Gi Champion

World No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Championship

Career timeline

1995Born in Swansea, Wales
2013Transitions from competitive judo into Brazilian jiu-jitsu
2018Promoted to black belt by Darragh O'Conaill in Dublin
2019Becomes the first European to win the CBJJ Brazilian Nationals
2022Wins first IBJJF gi World Championship and ADCC World Championship
2023Defends IBJJF World title and becomes first lightweight to win double gold at No-Gi Worlds

Frequently asked

Who is Ffion Davies' black belt instructor?
She was promoted to black belt by Darragh O'Conaill of East Coast Jiu-Jitsu Academy (ECJJA) in Dublin on November 27, 2018.
What weight class does Ffion Davies compete in?
She competes at Lightweight (under 64 kg) in the gi, after earlier competing at Featherweight.
What is Ffion Davies' nickname?
She is known as 'The Honeybadger.'
Full roster Suggest a correction