Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu superstar Gordon Ryan has unleashed a scathing critique of fellow grappling champion Ffion Davies after she announced a social media break due to mental health struggles, igniting a heated debate within the grappling community.
The controversy for Ryan, began when Davies chose to compete at Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) over the prestigious Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) championships last year. In a video, Davies expressed her preference for “chaos” and rebellion, stating:
“I love chaos invite me to the rebellion like why just know that if there’s a rebellion if there is a revolution if there’s chaos i want to join in.”
Ryan responded with a lengthy social media post criticizing Davies‘ career decisions and what he perceives as inconsistency in her stance on various grappling organizations.
“Fion out here complaining that Billy Bob is mean tweeting about her, yet she spent 2 years talking shit on adcc, the org that built her entire career for not paying women enough, then, she goes over to cgi- the org that doesn’t even give a f**k about women enough to even GIVE THEM A DIVISION,” Ryan wrote.
He continued his criticism, pointing out what he sees as contradictory behavior:
“She left adcc because she claimed they didnt pay women enough, essentially said ‘f**k you’ to all the other women in the sport, and went to compete on some obscure show that didn’t even allow enough to have a women’s division.”
Ryan also referenced Davies‘ subsequent criticism of CJI, noting:
“Now, shes over at ufc bitching about cji saying that they’re only having a women’s division bec the court of public opinion is bullying them into doing it, which is true.”
The situation escalated when Davies posted about her mental health struggles, revealing she was taking a step back from social media due to online criticism. In her post, Davies wrote:
“The last few weeks I’ve been struggling a lot mentally; I’ve always been very sensitive, and told to grow a thicker skin.”
She expressed concern about how online discourse was affecting her competitive mindset:
“Going into competition, the fear is no longer if I lose – the solution is easy; go back to the gym, train and fix your mistakes. The new, overwhelming fear is what will people say about me, how will I be torn apart next.”
Ryan seized on this admission, contrasting it with previous exchanges between them about mental toughness.
“Remember that time I posted about being a strong man/individual, that no one gives a sh*t about your problems, and to just stfu and do what you need to do? Then, remember when fion came to attack me and told everyone its ok to be a pussy?”
He continued his attack on Davies‘ resilience:
“Well, here she is, telling the internet how she can’t handle random losers in their mom’s basement talking sh*t about her. The soft as baby sh*t world champion telling everyone how she can’t take the mean tweets that joe from Ohio makes about her.”
Ryan positioned himself as someone who has endured far more criticism throughout his career:
“Ive been the most hated grappler in the sport for the last decade, and yet, I show up and win, every. Single. F**king. day.”
The backdrop to this controversy includes Davies‘ recent decision to compete for the UFC rather than CJI, citing concerns that the women’s division was only added due to public pressure. This decision drew criticism from parts of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu community, particularly given her previous stance on organizations not adequately supporting women’s divisions.
Davies‘ most recent competitive appearance at a UFC event ended with a decision victory over Adele Fornarino, though some observers questioned the outcome after what appeared to be a significant submission attempt that produced an audible sound during the match.
In concluding his criticism, Ryan emphasized his philosophy on handling adversity:
“Moral of the story here. It is not ok to be a weak f**king pussy. Everyone has issues, and NO ONE cares about yours. Shut the f**k up. Show the f**k up. Do what you need to do. Take care of the people you love. The end.”
Davies, meanwhile, indicated she would be focusing on opening her new academy, ARMA, while working through her challenges in therapy, stating:
“I know many are so good at tuning these things out and I’ll be doing the work (in therapy) to move past this, because I’m not a quitter.”
