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Submission grappling star Danielle Kelly has come a long way, going from a regional MMA ring card girl to a ONE world champion and the face of women's jiu-jitsu.
Making her promotional debut at ONE Championship's 10th-anniversary showcase ONE X, Kelly went undefeated in her first three matches with Japanese icon Mei Yamaguchi, Russian standout Mariia Molchanova, and former ONE world title challenger Ayaka Miura.
But of all her impressive performances and epic victories, none was sweeter than her victory over former foe Jessa Khan at ONE Fight Night 14 in September.
Not only did Kelly walk away with the inaugural ONE atomweight submission grappling world champion, but she also scored a healthy dose of redemption by avenging her 2021 loss to Khan under the WNO banner.
"From Ring Girl To World Champion. Relelive Danielle Kelly’s crowning as ONE’s inaugural atomweight submission grappling queen! Who should her first defense be against?"
Danielle Kelly was relieved more than anything following her big win over Jessa Khan
Adding another big win to her resume, the Silver Fox BJJ product was expected to be overcome with excitement. Instead, Kelly found herself feeling a great sense of relief as 26 pounds of ONE Championship gold was wrapped around her waist:
“So leading up to it I thought I was gonna be like super excited," Kelly said during an appearance on the Chewjitsu podcast. "I just beat someone who’s a high-level world champion, who trains with the best team, and like AOJ [Art of Jiu-Jitsu] is like a top school out there, there's no argument about that.
"After I won I felt like like it was a relief like all right like I can finally kind of relax I was excited.”
See the full episode below:
What comes next for Danielle Kelly remains to be seen, but ONE fans are chomping at the bit to see what lies in the future for the Philly native.
You can rewatch Kelly's title-winning performance at ONE Fight Night 14 on demand via Amazon Prime video in the United States.
