2022 FloGrappling Awards

See The Nominees For 2022 FloGrappling Female Grappler Of The Year

See The Nominees For 2022 FloGrappling Female Grappler Of The Year

The 2022 FloGrappling Female Grappler Of The Year nominees have been announced! See which five athletes are up for the award, and vote here now.

Dec 22, 2022 by Corey Stockton
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Voting is now open for the 2022 FloGrappling Awards. Read below to see which five athletes have been nominated for Female Grappler of the Year, and cast your ballot in the form at the end of this article.

Tune in live for the official award show on Thursday, January 12 at 2pm CT!


Amy Campo

In her rookie year at black belt, Amy Campo ascended from largely-unknown to ADCC Trials winner, ADCC Champion, Worlds absolute silver medalist and No-Gi World Champion.

Each of these moments were significant in her breakout year, but her run at ADCC featured a murder's row: Elisabeth Clay, Gabi Garcia and Rafaela Guedes.

Campo is also nominated for breakthrough grappler of the year.


Ffion Davies

Ffion Davies has been among the best grapplers in the world for at least three years. But 2022 was, without a doubt, the best year of the Welsh athlete's career.

Davies won IBJJF Worlds in the gi, becoming the first Welsh and the first Brit ever to achieve that accomplishment. She doubled down at ADCC, where she achieved the same feat. In her ADCC run, she took the lead in her longstanding rivalry against Beatriz Mesquita, fortifying her position as no.1 pound-for-pound grappler in the world.

This is Davies' second time being nominated for Female Grappler of the Year. She was first nominated in 2019.


Brianna Ste-Marie

In 2021, Ste-Marie earned a nomination for breakthrough grappler of the year, supported by her successful performance at the ADCC East Coast Trials and her magnificent WNO debut.

In 2022, she ascended from the WNO undercard to the main event, in which she bested the formidable Mayssa Bastos. She also stormed through the ADCC West Coast Trials, becoming the first ever athlete to win both trials in a single season. She took second at ADCC, knocking off reigning champ Bia Basilio; and she punctuated her rookie year with a bang, scoring a black belt IBJJF No-Gi Worlds title with three submissions.

Davies has been nominated for breakthrough grappler of the year again in 2022, as she ascended to a completely new level this year.


Mayssa Bastos

Mayssa Bastos' 2022 season left no dout; she is one of the best grapplers on the planet pound for pound. Bastos clinched her third IBJJF World title in June. A few months earlier, she tore through the ADCC South American Trials, where the career roosterweight won the -60kg bracket, more than 20 lbs above her normal competition rate.

Those accomplishments shouldn't overshadow her tremendous feat in the gi. She achieved a grand slam this year, winning all four of the major IBJJF tourmaments: Worlds, Pans, Euros and Brasileiros.

Bastos hit a cold streak toward the tail end of her season, but only because she stuck true to a purpose she's relentlessly expressed since achieving her first black belt title: she challenged herself.

In her last three outings of the year, Bastos was undersized by an average of 15 lbs, competing against some of the best in the World. Even when she lost, she was never outclassed.

This is Bastos' fourth consecutive time being nominated for Female Grappler of the Year. She won the award in 2021.


Gabi Pessanha

In 2022, Gabi Pessanha did what few grapplers before her have been able to.

She secured an IBJJF Double Grand Slam as a black belt, scoring double gold at Euros, Brasileiros, Pans and Worlds consecutively in a single season.

She held a record of 53-0 this season with a 70% submission rate. She's on track to be the most successful female grappler in history.

This is Pessanha's second time being nominated for Female Grappler of the Year. Her first nomination was last year.