Jessa Khan admits Danielle Kelly’s innate physical talents make her a tricky opponent to submit

There are things in martial arts that just come naturally to some fighters, and Danielle Kelly is one martial artist who can boast of a natural gift for Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Just ask her old foe Jessa Khan.

The pair first met in 2021 at Who’s Number One, and Khan was a firsthand witness to just how difficult it is to submit Kelly.

In an interview with Alex Wendling, Khan stated that Kelly’s innate flexibility is one of the things that stood out during their match:

“I didn't see like too much footage of her stuff and what to watch out for. But like I know during the fight I figured out some things during the fight that she's pretty good. And like I said in another interview, she had some good takedowns, and she has like really good defense, just because she's really flexible. So, I guess like that's a good quality that she has.”

Check out the interview below:

Khan ultimately settled for a decision win in their first meeting, but she can rectify that when she faces Kelly for the second time in her career.

The Cambodian-American star will take on Kelly for the inaugural ONE atomweight submission grappling world title at ONE Fight Night 14 on September 29 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The 21-year-old got valuable experience earlier this year when she captured the women’s light featherweight gold medal at the 2023 World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championships.

She plans to ride that wave of momentum into her ONE Championship debut when she reignites her rivalry with Kelly on the global stage.

ONE Fight Night 14 is available live and for free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.