Ffion Davies Eyes History in Fight for Inaugural UFC BJJ Bantamweight Title

All right, we are here with Fiona Davies making her UFC BJJ debut, also competing for the inaugural bantamweight title.

What was your reaction when you got the call from an organization as big as the UFC offering you to fight for an inaugural title like you will be on Thursday?

Yeah, it's so exciting.

I mean, I always wanted to be in the UFC with MMA.

When I originally started iu-jitsu, it was through MMA.

I think a lot of people started that way.

Um, thanks to Ron Rey and stuff, but yeah, it was pretty cool to like kind of get that dream to come true without having to get punched in the face, I suppose.

So you mentioned that, right?

You were 4-0 in MMA with 4 finishes, with so much success in the cage.

Why did you choose to transition to jiu-jitsu full time other than not having to get punched in the face?

Um, well, originally the plan was to go into jiu-jitsu and then kind of get accolades there.

Um, kind of round out my game because I didn't have very good striking or grappling or anything.

So, um, I think because I was getting finishes and I was doing quite decently considering, um, if I met someone high level, I was gonna, yeah, it wasn't going to go very well.

So I needed to kind of get more experience first before I went back to fighting and then I just fell in love with competitive jujitsu, especially in the ge at the time as well.

I mean, you haven't had a loss in 3 years and on your resume.

actually have a current UFC champion, uh, Mackenzie Dern with a win.

You're in the prime of your career.

Do you feel like you're unbeatable right now?

No, no one's unbeatable, but I feel confident in my abilities and I'm the best I've ever been technically and physically and fitness wise as well.

So whatever happens in the match, I know that I'm the best that I can be and that's that's all that I can do.

But yeah, I am proud of, you know, having a good run in the last few years.

So I know that, you know, there's a lot of tough girls out there and it's all good experience regardless.

And my goal is to be the best that I can be.

Is it true you used to moonlight as a bouncer?

Yeah, I used to, you wouldn't believe it.

But yes, I used to be a bouncer and no one ever when I tried to ask for ID, they were like, no, they just look.

Did you ever get in any skirmishes, uh, checking IDs?

I did, yeah, a few, a few scraps.

Yeah, mostly, you know what, with the lads, I think it did like really de escalate.

because I'd ask politely and believe it or not actually works.

Um, but I did fight um a gypsy once.

Let's talk about the growth of uh Brazilian jiu-jitsu, specifically women's jiu-jitsu with the UFC getting involved.

How important is it to have someone like Claudia and the UFC leading the charge and giving athletes and young women more opportunities to make a career in the sport?

Yeah, it's so exciting.

I mean, even just today not coming in, everything has been so professional.

I go from one spot to the next to the next.

Everything is just ran so smoothly and um I don't mean just disrespect any other organizations, but it's never this level of professionalism and just to have uh an organization like the UFC so interested in jiu-jitsu is just amazing.

And then Claudia is obviously a champion within her own right and she's so like decorated and also a black belt in jiu-jitsu.

So I feel like she has like a good understanding of the athletes as well in terms of matchmaking and Yeah, I feel like the cards have been stacked full of women as well, which is so nice to see.

You don't really see it very often.

You usually have one female match, and that is like that's it on the whole card.

So it's really nice to see that investment there in the women athlete as well.

Let's talk about your opponent.

She's younger, less experienced, but still very dangerous.

What do you make of your opponent?

Do you watch film study?

of what you've seen from her.

Yeah, like I've watched her a lot.

Like I love watching jiu-jitsu in general and I really like her game.

I'm genuinely so excited to fight.

Like I always feel excited to fight, but I think for this match I'm particularly excited because I feel like she's very versatile.

So I feel like we're going to be in lots of different spots in the match, which is obviously more exciting for a competitors as well.

Like I don't want it to be.

I feel like my last match, um, it was not the it's my first time on with the bowl.

Um, but I have been on the invitational before, and I felt like I didn't really get to show my best jiu-jitsu.

Um, I do feel like Cassia will bring out my best jiu-jitsu.

It is a new black belt, sorry.

How much do you think, I think the UFC, uh, created that bowl and are instituting it to make the matches more exciting.

You're not able to be pushed out as much.

How much does your training change, uh, knowing that you're gonna be competing in that bowl?

To be honest, not at all.

That's bad, but I feel like, I mean, I don't feel like I ever use the boundary.

I think if you're someone who kind of use the boundary to your sort of advantage, that might be something you'd need to change, but I've always kind of gone forward in my matches, so I don't think it'll be a huge part of it.

I'm excited to kind of feel it out though, but it's not something that you really replicate in the gym.

A couple rapid fire ones for me and I'll let you go.

What's your favorite submission?

Tiger.

What's the submission you have the hardest time defending?

Oh, well.

Ankle locks.

BJJ players of all time.

I know it's a tough one, but you gotta pick 4.

Roger Gracie, I'm doing the hands under my table now , uh, Marcella Garcia, be a mosquito and.

Rest of the time.

I need a 4th.

And there's so many people and now my brain has gone blank.

You mentioned being a mosquito.

You have a, you have a win over her, don't you?

But it's different.

It's, yes, but to, you can't just say one win.

I think like long term over the years, her dominance far exceeds anything that I've ever achieved.

Like she's won 10 world titles.

That's insane.

That's very humble, very, very good to hear.

So that's not the same.

Looking forward to seeing you compete on Thursday night.

Thank you so much for your time and good luck.

Thank you very much.