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Danielle Kelly knows her life as a world champion will get harder.
The American submission grappling star became the inaugural ONE atomweight submission grappling world champion when she beat old tormentor Jessa Khan at ONE Fight Night 14 in September.
It was a historic win for Kelly as she became the first female submission grappling world champion in ONE Championship history. She also scored a personal grudge with Khan, who beat her in 2021 under the Who’s Number One banner.
In an interview with the Chewjitsu Podcast, Kelly said she’s aware that her job is only starting and that things will get crazier once she starts defending her strap.
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Kelly said:
“I was really excited, but then like going forward I was kind of like 'This is what I do.' Like what I worked hard for, I don't know. That's actually a good question, I think I have this in my mind, it's just with me specifically like this mindset where like, ‘Alright I just got done this first match there's going to be someone, my next match might be much harder. So don't get too cocky.’”
Kelly taking on Khan was a dream match of sorts in the women’s submission grappling scene, with both fighters carrying lofty reputations with them.
Khan was a terror on the international scene when she won multiple gold medals in the Asian and Southeast Asian Games for Cambodia. She also made her mark in the professional Brazilian jiu-jitsu circuit when she captured gold in the 2023 IBJJF World Championships.
Kelly, meanwhile, bumped her notoriety to insane levels when she joined ONE Championship in 2022.
After settling for a draw against veteran Mei Yamaguchi, Kelly scored decisive wins against Sambo world champion Mariia Molchanova and former ONE women’s strawweight MMA world title contender Ayaka Miura.
The old rivals eventually met at ONE Fight Night 14, with Kelly taking the close decision win.
While Khan had her moments early in the fight, Kelly scored the pivotal submission catch when she caught Khan in a tight toehold past the midway point of the fight.
Watch Kelly's entire interview below:
