The Problem With Women in BJJ: Ffion Davies

The Problem With...

James Smith

Society & Culture

4.9 • 9.5K Ratings

🗓️ 17 February 2026

⏱️ 75 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Ffion Davies joins James Smith to reveal the problem with women in jiu-jitsu, a sport often gatekept by a "sausage fest" mentality and dangerous myths about self-defense. Davies, a six-time world champion, exposes why the current narrative is failing women and how the lack of equal pay is a quiet crisis threatening the sport's growth. They confront the reality of the "big strong dude" syndrome, the biological discrepancies in training, and the high-stakes battle for financial respect in elite competition. 👁️ Try Neutonic: https://www.neutonic.com/jamessmith 🧪 Check your Test: https://www.manual.co/smith 📝 Business Mentoring: https://www.jamessmith.business 🏋🏼‍♂️ Online Coaching: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com Ffion's Online Training Membership: https://ffiononline.com/ Ffion Davies on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ffioneiradaviesbjj Ffion Davies on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ffiffipengtinginlondon We cover: ⬛ Why the "Self-Defense" Narrative is a Dangerous Lie ⬛ Equal Pay, ADCC & The Battle for Financial Respect ⬛ Why Athleticism is a Trap for Beginners ⬛ The Truth About Skin Infections & "Ballgate" ⬛ Why You Should Learn from Purple Belts, Not Just Legends Chapters: 00:00 Breaking Barriers for Female Grapplers 2:56 Challenges Facing Women in the Sport 6:33 Building Trust and Community in Training 10:02 Reframing Motivation for Jiu-Jitsu 15:19 Realistic Expectations for Beginners 17:23 First Experiences and Gym Challenges 22:53 Judo vs Jiu-Jitsu Training Differences 29:35 Judo People Are Unique Athletes 36:05 Gi vs No-Gi: Technical Differences 45:56 Skin Infections and Training Hygiene 52:26 Armor Gym: A New Training Environment 59:56 Seminar Dynamics and Rolling Etiquette 1:01:57 Competing in Adult Divisions 1:04:06 Encouraging New People to Try Jiu-Jitsu 1:09:44 The Global Jiu-Jitsu Community 1:12:36 Fion Davies' Current Projects Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The big strong dudes come in who think they can fight,
0:02.2	they take being swept or they take going backwards really badly.
0:05.5	They're not pacing themselves because they think I'm athletic and I'm fit. Like you'll get someone in like, oh, they'd be so good at it, they'd be re-athletic, like, I mean, they've done sport before. They actually don't tend to enjoy it as much. Because you'll see that, like, the drop in their face when they're like, And they're like, oh wait, I'm not good at this straight away.
0:20.0	Because they're not good at it straight away, you just see them deflate.
0:22.0	Fion Davis is a judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and multiple world champion. James and Fion discuss the reality behind Jiu-Jitsu, common sport mistakes, and... What is the problem with women getting into Jiu-Jitsu? I don't like the narrative that women should start as a form of self-defense.
0:39.4	Not because it can be a great form of self-defense. However, if someone's trying to attack me, I'm just going to try and run away. I'm not trying to scrap anyone. People like to go on comment on my videos and be like, that wouldn't work on the street. And I'm like, I know, I'm not trying to street fight. I'm doing a fun sport where we lay on the floor.
0:52.6	Athleticism and size matters so much more,
0:54.9	which is why it can be kind of hard when like new girls come in
0:57.0	and it's a room full of guys. a street bike. I'm doing a fun sport where we lay on the floor. Athleticism and size matters so much
0:54.6	more, which is why it can be kind of hard when like new girls come in and it's a room full of
0:57.9	guys and you're just there like... This in front of me is a new tonic variety pack. There's four
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1:27.5	Beyond Davies, what is the problem with women getting into jih Tjitsu? There's not enough of them. We need more women getting into Jitsu. We first did a podcast five years ago, and ever since then, whenever I've spoken about Jiu-Sih Tzu, and someone said about women in the sport, I'm like, take a look of film. Thank you.
1:28.0	That's very nice.
1:33.6	Well, I think one, the competence, I've mentioned this several times before.
1:36.5	And I know it's been five years since you beat me up.
1:38.3	I remember well.
1:39.6	Fun memories.
1:43.2	But I think one of the amazing things as well is there are some women in jiu-jitsu who are large and strong and over 100 kagee.
1:47.5	But am I right in thinking you're 65?
1:50.9	62, actually.
1:52.6	62 kilograms.
	...

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