Ffion Davies has just had to withdraw from Polaris Squads and Nia Blackman has been brought in to replace her as the captain for Team Europe. It’s the first time that the promotion is staging a female squads event and it’s a huge change at the last minute, as it takes place on June 28th, 2025. Polaris revealed that Davies was forced to pull out after suffering an injury and although the exact details have not been confirmed, it may be related to a deep leglock attempt at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 11 that looked like it may have caused some damage as she escaped.
Davies also confirmed herself that she’s currently injured and unable to train when she announced that she was taking a break from competition. Polaris was able to find a great replacement for her though, as Blackman is a promotional veteran and one of the top female competitors in the UK right now. This also adds a new element to the show, as Blackman will surely be eager to get some revenge against Crevar. It was less than a year ago that the two young competitors crossed paths, with Crevar getting the decision win and successfully defending her lightweight title at Polaris 30.
That isn’t the only last-minute change to the lineup for the first ever female Polaris Squads event either though. The rest of the European team remains unchanged but the North American team has lost two competitors, with Alex Enriquez and Elizabeth Mitrovic coming in to replace them. Both Enriquez and Mitrovic are at the very top of the sport though, so entering a high-level event like this on short notice shouldn’t make much of a difference to them. With both team lineups now officially set, the competitors will now be making their final preparations before they hit the mats and battle it out to crown the inaugural female Squads champions.
Polaris announced the news that Ffion Davies had been replaced by Nia Blackman for the first female Squads event in a recent post to their official Instagram account:
