Following her submission victory at UFC BJJ 9, Ffion Davies addressed speculations regarding her retirement.
Asked during the press conference what she wanted people to take away from her performance, Davies immediately pushed back against the idea that retirement is anywhere on the horizon.
“I’m not a withered old lady who’s going to retire anytime soon,” she said.
Davies joked that her longevity in the sport may be causing people to assume she’s older than she really is.
“I’ve been told I’m going to retire. I feel like people think I’m older than what I am, which is, I mean, I need to up my skin-care routine, clearly,” she said.
She explained that while she’s been competing at a high level for a long time, she has no plans to step away.
“But I’ve been around a long time. I think that’s the thing,” Davies said. “And that’s one thing I want people to know is I will continue to hang around like a bad smell.”
Davies acknowledged that she may not always come out on top, but she believes persistence is one of her greatest strengths.
“I’m very much not the person who’s going to win all the time, but I will continue to hang around until eventually I get the title,” she said.
Expanding on that mindset, Davies made it clear that longevity matters more to her than perfection.
“I don’t have to win all the time, but I will, I’ll just be here,” she said. “And the person who lasts longest is the person who wins.”
The conversation then shifted to the UFC BJJ format and how it differs from the longer matches that helped define her success in ADCC competition.
“I do favor a really long round,” Davies said. “Like an ADCC final is my dream. 20 minutes, amazing, because I feel I’m a slow starter.”
She admitted that tendency was visible in her latest performance and remains an area she’s actively working to improve.
“I think that was quite evident, that it’s something I’m working on, but I’m still, still slow at the jump,” she said.
Davies explained that the challenge comes from having to start aggressively from the opening seconds rather than building momentum over time.
“When it’s free fives and there’s that break in between, like, it’s all about that constant initiation going forward, being aggressive but from the get-go,” she said.
“Whereas I’m someone who, like, builds up to that.”
Despite the adjustment period, Davies believes she’s making progress in adapting to the format.
“It is an adjustment working at the format, but at the end of the day it’s the format I want to be in,” she said. “So I need to adjust, and slowly I’m getting there.”
She pointed to her quick finish as a positive sign.
“I think getting the submission in the first was a good start,” Davies added.
Davies also praised the UFC BJJ experience outside of competition, highlighting how the promotion’s organization allows athletes to focus entirely on performing.
“The whole week has been smooth. It was like this last time, too,” she said.
“And it only gets smoother each time, which I think is an athlete’s dream. I mean, the last thing you want to be worrying about is all the outside factors.”
As for what’s next, Davies made it clear that she isn’t looking to spend much time on the sidelines.
“I want to get in as soon as possible,” she said. “If there’s any last minute replacements needed, I’ll be there.”
