Danielle Kelly says taking a year off jiu-jitsu made her realize her true calling: “This is what I want to do”

Danielle Kelly needed to step away from the thing she loved the most to realize what she was destined to do all along.

Nowadays, the reigning ONE atomweight submission grappling world champion couldn’t imagine her life without jiu-jitsu.

However, it wasn’t always the case.

Danielle Kelly lost passion for ‘The Gentle Art’ during a turbulent moment in her personal life. It seems like everything was falling apart and Kelly decided to quit grappling altogether.

The 28-year-old American shared in an appearance on the Chewjitsu Podcast:

“I had really bad things happen to me like when I was barely 21 years old. I was still in college and I took almost a year off jiu-jitsu.”

After conquering her personal demons, Danielle Kelly turned to BJJ once more and rekindled her inner fire for competition.

While returning from a long lay-off is always tough, Kelly’s prodigious skills allowed her to pick up right where she left off.

The Silver Fox BJJ and Evolve MMA athlete continued:

“When I came back, was when reality set, like this is what I want to do. When I came back the first month I ended up doing a BJJ pro-competition and I ended up in third place out of 25 women who were in the absolute division.”

Watch the full podcast episode:

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Danielle Kelly grateful for mentors like Jay Regalbuto

Now thay Kelly has reached the pinnacle of women’s grappling under the world’s largest martial arts organization, she hasn’t forgotten the people who helped her along the way.

Among those is esteemed coach Jay Regalbuto, who’s a respected figure in the BJJ community.

In an Instagram post, Kelly shared her appreciation for her mentor, whom she treats like family:

“Mess with me, you mess with @smashpassjay 😂🩷💪🏼Thankful for everything he has done over the years and support. I lost my dad but Jay treats me like his own. Good coach, role model, father, person"