Ashley Bendle

Ashley Bendle is a Welsh Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor and submission grappler, born on 29 March 1997. She began training at the age of five and was trained in Swansea by Chris Rees, the first Welsh black belt in the art, who promoted her to black belt in 2019. In the coloured belts she became British and European No-Gi champion. As a black belt she won the openweight Gi and No-Gi divisions at the 2022 IBJJF London International Open, took bronze at the 2022 IBJJF World No-Gi Championship and finished second at the ADCC European Trials in 2021 and 2024. In professional grappling she stepped in on a week notice to face Michelle Nicolini for the inaugural Polaris under 60 kg title in 2022, and in 2023 she became the first Enyo Grappling champion at under 55 kg and won a vacant title at Grapplefest 17.