“I got made fun of” - Danielle Kelly recalls wrestling with boys in high school

Brazilian jiu-jitsu star Danielle Kelly recently recalled being made fun of when she joined an all-boys wrestling team in high school.

Kelly has a long history of being underestimated but maintains that without going through some adversity, she wouldn’t be where she is today. The Philadelphia native revealed that she was the only girl in her school participating in wrestling at the time, something she wore like a badge of honor.

She told ONE Championship:

“When I first started wrestling, it was kind of new. It was a big deal when I was joining the wrestling team, even when I was in high school, but I was like in seventh grade. So then hearing a girl join a wrestling team at a public school I went to was weird. And then I got made fun of. It wasn’t normal, but I loved it either way.”

Danielle Kelly has become the leading figure of women’s jiu-jitsu in ONE Championship. Her passion for the sport has resonated with millions of young girls and women who have found themselves dealing with the same issues in their own hometowns.

Now with more girls taking an interest in various disciplines of martial arts, there are wrestling programs available for them in their schools or near their home gyms to help them boost their self-confidence.

Kelly herself has also taken part in inspiring change by traveling across the country, teaching jiu-jitsu to the next generation of female athletes.

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Danielle Kelly improves on her strength training with before-and-after clips

Danielle Kelly promised to get stronger before her next submission grappling bout and it looks like she’s delivering on that promise.

After going a full 12 minutes in a submission grappling contest against MMA veteran Mei Yamaguchi on her ONE Championship debut, Kelly realized once again just how strong some women can be in her division.

Setting some new goals this year, the Silver Fox representative is taking measures to strengthen her body to improve her overall performance.

Still learning how to incorporate weights into her fitness regime, Danielle Kelly takes pride in how far she’s come with before-and-after clips of herself lifting weights.

She wrote in the caption:

“I hate posting lifting videos just because it’s not my favorite thing and I look weird😂 It’s cool to notice how better your form gets overtime, also I always start with lower weight and work my way up. Before, I was too nervous to go heavier, so yes, the same plates on both videos but I didn’t go heavier before. Trying to improve everywhere and in my strength training💪🏼💪🏼”

Watch the clip below: