View results and highlights from UFC FPI 11, which saw Ffion Davies win a closely contested match against Adele Fornarino.
It wasn’t easy, but Ffion Davies remains the top pound-for-pound athlete in women’s submission grappling.
In the main event of the UFC Fight Pass Invitational (UFC FPI) 11, Davies scored a hard-fought, very closely contested split decision victory over reigning ADCC 55kg and absolute champion Adele Fornarino.
Predictably, almost the entirety of the match played out with Fornarino attacking from her guard while Davies looked to employ her trademark guard passing. The bout was contested under CJI rules, with three, five-minute rounds scored on a 10-point must system.
In the first round, neither athlete was able to achieve any real success, as Fornarino used her knee shield and closed guard to shut down Davies’ passing attempts. For her part, the Welsh star stayed aggressive and defensively sound from top position, constantly working to gain ground with her knee-cut.
The second frame was the most clear-cut. About midway through the round, Fornarino was able to enter into a leg entanglement and latch onto an Aoki lock that caused a big reaction from Davies and created an audible pop.
The third and final round saw Davies changing up her passing strategy and turning the pace up another level. While her knee-cut passing was largely stifled by Fornarino’s knee shield and false reap through the bout’s opening 10 minutes, Davies’ pressure seemed to have added up by the third round, and she was able to force the Australian on the defensive.
Ultimately, the mat-side judges awarded Davies the split decision victory with scores of 29-28, 29-28, and 27-30.
After the match, Davies acknowledged that she wasn’t happy to win by such a close decision and offered to face Fornarino in a rematch. For her part, Fornarino voiced her displeasure with the outcome but insisted that the decision shouldn’t overshadow a significant event – the first women’s main event in UFC FPI history.
In other notable action at UFC FPI 11, reigning 65kg ADCC champion Ana Carolina Vieira employed solid wrestling and a dangerous guillotine choke to win a unanimous decision over Raquel Canuto, handing the Hawaiian her first defeat on the UFC FPI stage.
Also, top-ranked light heavyweight Mason Fowler picked up a quick submission win over Christiano Troisi. William Tackett needed less than 40 seconds to submit young phenom Achilles Rocha with a rear-naked choke.
View the full results from UFC FPI 11 below.
UFC FPI 11 results
Ffion Davies def. Adele Fornarino via split decision
Ana Carolina Vieira def. Raquel Canuto via unanimous decision
William Tackett def. Achilles Rocha via submission (rear-naked choke)
Mason Fowler def. Christiano Troisi via submission (omoplata)
Francisco Lo vs. Enrico Said ends in a draw
Alex Enriquez def. Shye Lilly via submission (armbar)
Keven Carrasco def. Sebastian Oyervidez via submission (teepee choke)
Jaoa Assonitis def. Danny Maira via submission (heel hook)
