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Rising star Danielle Kelly is aiming for a spot on ONE Championship's first card in the United States, but her focus remains on her upcoming match in Thailand.
The promotion is slated to make its North American debut in May with ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video. Many American-born fighters on the roster are hoping to book a fight at the historic event, including Kelly. She told SCMP MMA:
"Obviously, yeah. Wishful thinking. Obviously, I would love to be in the first event, it's in the U.S. It's where I live and my family and friends can come to watch me because they obviously can't travel [out of] the country to watch me. I would love to do that. I think overall, I think everyone coming to ONE Championship in the U.S. is a big goal."
Danielle Kelly added:
"And it's a huge goal. I'm not expecting anything, but I'm crossing my fingers. Hopefully, I'll focus on this match. First, let me make sure that I'll submit this girl, and then I'll be confident. So I'm focusing on Ayaka, but do I want to be on the card? Yes, I do."
First, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu sensation must outgrapple Ayaka Miura at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video. It will be Kelly's third match under ONE's banner after picking up a victory as well as a draw in her first two appearances.
Danielle Kelly discusses fighting in a ring rather than a cage in upcoming match
The Silver Fox BJJ affiliate had to adjust to competing in a cage upon signing with ONE. Now, she must readjust as she'll be grappling in a ring at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
She detailed the situation during the same interview, saying:
“I was like, ‘Oh, okay. It's pretty interesting.’ I've been working on cage-wall stuff. It's in my grappling game. So from a ring, I mean, I was just grappling in a ring earlier this morning, before, with another girl. It's kind of different. I don't know the rules exactly. Because for jiu-jitsu it's like, you know, if you watched the first match, Mei put me against the cage, to make me not make space or move my hips. So the cage kind of blocked that. So what are the rules for the ring? Are they going to just push my head to the side? Or can I keep going? It's going to be interesting.”
Danielle Kelly is a star in the making, now showcasing her skills on the global stage. She hopes to join Kade Ruotolo and Mikey Musumeci as ONE's submission grappling champions in the near future.
Make sure to tune in to ONE Fight Night 7 on February 24 to watch Danielle Kelly take on Ayaka Miura in a women's strawweight submission grappling match, live from the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Check out Danielle Kelly's full conversation with SCMP MMA below:
