Ffion Davies Catches Jaine Fragoso In a First-Round Submission At UFC BJJ 13
Ffion Davies brought the heat at UFC BJJ 13, delivering a masterclass in jiu-jitsu as she proved that her submission game still remains just as dangerous.
Ffion Davies found the tap at 2:07 of the first round, ending Jaine Fragoso's UFC BJJ debut. While the submission may have happened in the blink of an eye, nothing about the bantamweight's victory was random.
Ffion Davies Secures 2nd Straight Win To Her UFC BJJ Resume
The Welsh grappler quickly jumped into action even before her opponent could settle into a rhythm, locking in a tight head-and-arm strangle. With plenty of time to finish the choke from top, the ADCC champion found an easy win. The game-changer for her, however, was adapting to the latest BJJ promotion's shorter rounds.
With three five-minute rounds to work with, Davies ditched her wrestling game, instead getting a sweep from guard. Once on top, the jiu-jitsu maestro put her best foot forward, progressing to side control and then full mount. With her vicious submission threat arsenal, Davies took no time to finish the arm triangle.
This technical showdown earned the bantamweight title challenger Performance of the Night bonus, alongside Nick Rodriguez. Moreover, the victory puts Davies on a two-fight win streak as she looks to recover from a narrow defeat to Cassia Moura at UFC BJJ 6
After the Brazilian frustrated the IBJJF champion with her relentless wrestling game, the Welsh quickly tweaked her strategy to a more submission-heavy game. That shift was especially apparent on Thursday.
Ffion Davies Adapts On The Fly For Jaine Fragoso's Leglock Game
The biggest paradigm shift for Ffion Davies was to know when to fight on her feet and when to switch to a bottom game. With a top, pressure-heavy, passing style of jiu-jitsu, the Welsh grappler usually forces takedowns from the stand-up. However, against Fragoso, Davies wasted little time in pulling her to guard.
That change in her game plan was almost instantaneous as she entered the bowl.
"I wanted to play a bit of guard. But I think she's got good leg entries; I could feel that with the false reap and stuff. So I was kind of like, 'wrestle and stand up,' but she kind of sat back, so I said, 'okay, I'll take top,'" Davies explained, speaking with UFC's McKenzie Pavacich.
Jaine Fragoso had not arrived empty-handed either. Holding three ankle-lock victories in her middleweight and open weight run at Albuquerque Open, the No. 4 no-gi IBJJF champion boasts a dangerous leglock game. Ffion Davies, however, quickly shut down those threats with her bruising guard-passing.
However, what ultimately brought Davies the victory was her willingness to shift her strategy even under the clock, showcasing exactly what makes her an elite grappler. Now, having sealed two victories with the organization, Davies will definitely look to continue her blazing run towards another title shot.
